


One Cappuccino and Chocolate Brownie, Please

by writeanddontstop



Category: John Wick (Movies), Keanu Reeves - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:01:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 28,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24807430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeanddontstop/pseuds/writeanddontstop
Summary: Darcie Angel is thirty years old and owner of the famous cafe “The Coffee Cup” in New York City. She is known for her sweet smile and her amazing customer service. For six months now, John Wick has visited her cafe every day, earning himself a table that is always reserved for him. Darcie can’t stop thinking about him and when he asks her out one day, her dreams are finally coming true. But will it last?
Relationships: John Wick & Original Female Character(s), John Wick/Darcie Angel, John Wick/Original Character(s)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting, so I'm a bit nervous. English is not my first language, so I hope there aren't too many mistakes.  
> I'm also on tumblr: https://keanureevesisbae.tumblr.com/  
> Hope you enjoy xx

It’s too damn early in the morning to deal with a Karin, who is demanding to see the manager. Though I’d rather stay here in the kitchen, talking to my best friend Jennie, who kneads the dough for her next delicious creation, I can’t say no to the big blue eyes of our newest employee Ellie, a sweet sixteen year old who really needed a summer job.

‘This has got to be a record,’ I mumble, looking at my gold wrist watch. ‘We’ve been open for what? Thirty minutes.’

Jennie laughs. ‘Well, girl,’ she says, ‘Karin asked for the manager, so she should get the manager.’

Ellie, who still looks horrified after her first encounter with a Karin, plays with her nails. ‘I’m so sorry, Darcie,’ she says.

‘No, sweetheart,’ I say, ‘Jennie is right. We should give Karin what she wants.’

My sweet labradoodle stands up from his spot, but I shake my head. ‘No, no, Tiki, you stay here with auntie Jennie.’ Tiki drops her ears, but curls herself up on her cushion, staring at me as I walk out of the kitchen.

I already see her near the register. Her haircut is the first giveaway and from the looks of it, she is a level ten Karin. Nothing I can’t handle. ‘Hello,’ I say with a smile. According to Cinderella in her second movie, you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. ‘You wanted to see the manager.’

‘Yes,’ the woman says. ‘Where is he?’

Typical _._ ‘ _She_ is standing right in front of you,’ I say.

Her eyes widen. ‘You’re too young to be the manager.’

She is not the first one to say it and though it is a compliment that I apparently still look young, I sometimes wish that people—and especially customers like this one—would take me a bit more seriously.

‘I get that a lot,’ I say, ‘but I am the manager of this place and the only one that can help you with whatever the problem is.’

“Karin” feels the desperate need to complain, so she says: ‘Well, that girl said that you don’t serve cappuccino with goat milk.’

‘Oh,’ I say, ‘well, she is correct.’

‘But I’m lactose intolerant,’ the woman says.

Normally I would feel for the person who is lactose intolerant. My mother was lactose intolerant and I have tons of customers who also can’t handle lactose, but I can’t feel sorry for this woman, since she is annoying the shit out of me.

‘We do have multiple other options for people with lactose intolerance,’ I start to say, though I’d rather see this woman leave. She is disturbing the other customers and to make things worse, my favorite customer just walks in.

The first few months he came by, he wore a black suit. But since the temperatures are rising, he switched the suit for a simple jeans and a white shirt. He looks so muscular, especially when he holds open the door for an older lady who is leaving the cafe.

His dark orbs meet mine and he raises his hand, his lips curling up in a smile.

I can’t help but smile back, until I realize I’m supposed to listen to the complaining customer.

‘I don’t want other options for people with lactose intolerance,’ “Karin” says.

‘Then I’m terribly sorry, but we don’t have goat milk and we won’t have that in the near future. It’s much more expensive than regular milk or other alternatives and at the moment, we can’t afford that.’

‘But I want it.’ God, this woman must be at least forty five, but why on earth is she being so pouty? From the looks of it, she’s married and it’s beyond me why anyone would have this woman in their house voluntarily.

‘Then I suggest you go to another place.’

Within a second, she whips out her phone and starts to record me. ‘Excuse me,’ I say, ‘what are you doing?’

‘I’m in The Coffee Cup in New York,’ she says, ‘and this Asian lady refuses to help me with my order. I am lactose intolerant and she is refusing to help me out.’

Oh my God, she is one of _those_ Karins.

‘Ma’am,’ I say, ‘I kindly advise you to turn off the camera and that you listen to me. This ,’—I gesture to myself—‘ _Asian_ lady is not refusing to help you. I told you that goat milk is too expensive for an alternative for lactose. While I do sympathize with people who can’t have lactose and am willing to help them figure out what alternative fits for them, I’m hardly sympathizing with you. So, you get your goat milk cappuccino somewhere else, because I really need you to leave my cafe. You are disturbing not only me and my employee, but also the other customers.’

She is outraged. She grabs her stuff and while she films the rest of the cafe, she angrily screams that she can’t believe she is being treated like this and how unfair this all is. I hear something about a terrible review, but she closes the door behind her.

I let out a sigh. ‘I’m so sorry everyone,’ I say in a loud voice to the customers.

‘You did great, miss Angel,’ one of the high school kids who are here almost daily.

‘You did indeed, I would’ve slapped the woman.’

‘Roger,’ I say to the second kid, ‘you know you can’t slap ladies, no matter how annoying they are.’

‘Sorry, miss Angel,’ he says, looking guilty.

‘What you can do instead, is slash their car tires.’ I wink at him, causing him and his friends to laugh.

‘I think you are more of a miss Devil, than an Angel.’

I stick out my tongue. ‘Ellie, sweetheart, go check on Jennie okay? Maybe help her out a bit. I’ll stay here for a while.’

‘Of course, Darcie,’ she says. ‘Thank you.’

‘No problem.’

She walks off to the kitchen and I see how John has taken the place where “Karin” just stood. ‘I’m sorry for the inconvenience,’ I say.

By far the most handsome customer we have in this shop, shakes his head. ‘That is okay. The kid was right, you did great.’

I let out a laugh. ‘Well, dealing with someone like this, this early in the morning, is hardly good for anyone.’ I tap the screen, to erase what the woman before him wanted to order and say: ‘How can I help you today, John?’

‘One cappuccino and a chocolate brownie, please.’

‘You are so predictable.’ Rolling my eyes, I tap his order on the screen. ‘Don’t you think you should order something else?’

‘Well, you ask that every day, but have I ever ordered something else?’

‘No,’ I say. ‘That’ll be five sixty.’

John holds out his card. ‘But, I would like to change something about my order,’ he says, before he pays.

‘Surprise me.’

‘I’d like goat milk in my cappuccino, instead of regular milk.’

‘Fuck off, John,’ I laugh. ‘That’s not funny.’

‘Why are you laughing then?’

‘To prevent myself from crying.’ I lean on my forearms against the counter. ‘You know, this has never happened to me before. I mean, I dealt with terrible customers, but no one ever whipped out their camera like that lady did. I bet she’s done that before. Tell me, John, do I look presentable enough to be filmed without my permission?’

John smiles. ‘You look always presentable, Darcie.’

After he payed for his order, I hear little footsteps patting on the hard floor. ‘Tiki,’ I say to her, ‘what are you doing here?’

John laughs and clicks his tongue, causing Tiki to rush to him. She jumps in his arms and licks his face when he lifts her up. ‘Can’t she join me?’ he asks.

‘She always joins you,’ I say, ‘and it’s okay, but as long…

‘As I don’t feed her any of my chocolate brownie, I know.’ He pats his pocket and adds: ‘I came prepared today.’

‘You go sit at your regular spot,’ I say. ‘As usual, we have it reserved especially for you.’

‘Have I mentioned that I love this place?’

I shrug. ‘You might’ve mentioned a few times.’

He nods and walks off to his table, still holding the tiny labradoodle in his hands, who is eager to lick his face. Tiki is normally pretty shy when it comes to other people, but with John, she was instantly comfortable.

I do check him out when he walks to the table, because I’m thirty, single and thirsting over this man. Our conversations are always like this, the flirty undertone always present, but that’s about it. I’m too afraid to ask him out anyways, because, what if the man is married and this is just his little fun for the day?

I turn around and I start to make his cappuccino, by letting the espresso run first. While I’m frothing the milk, I think about what I’ll do with his latte art for today and I think that a pegasus will do for today.

The pegasus looks lovely, so I place his coffee mug on the tiny wooden tray and grab a piece of the chocolate brownie he always wants. I think about walking up to him right now, but I all of the sudden have a boost of confidence, so I grab some prepackaged macarons, that we usually hand out when people order a lot and get it delivered.

I grab two macarons, one chocolate flavored and one mocha flavored, and place them on the tray. Like always, I grab a piece of paper. We always write down nice messages for the customers.

For the high school kids in the back, I wrote that they should ace their test they have in two hours, for customers who aren’t regular, I usually write ‘enjoy’ with a heart next to it and for the older couple who always read their news paper here, I write a Bible verse. Not that I’m religious myself, but I downloaded an app that always has very meaningful (I suppose) Bible verses specifically for that day. Since I really like this couple, I do that and that means a lot for them.

Today for John I write down: _To John, my favorite customer_.

Before I can rethink and reconsider it, I grab the tray and walk over to the reserved table. Like John told me, he is a man who knows what he wants and this spot is his favorite. Since he is here everyday, we reserve this place for him. He usually sits here and read and today is no different.

Tiki sits on his lap, her head placed on his chest, while he pats her back.

‘Here you go,’ I say, when I place the tray in front of him.

‘Thank you, Darcie.’

‘You are welcome.’ I smile at him and add: ‘Hope you enjoy and please, don’t spoil my dog. Otherwise she’ll like you more than me.’ I tickle Tiki behind her ear.

‘I won’t.’

I turn around, to walk away, but his hand grabs my wrist. God, his hands are big. He pulls me back and all of the sudden I’m really close to him. _He smells delicious_. ‘You are my favorite barista,’ he says, causing me to nearly collapse. ‘And… Thank you for the macarons.’

‘You’re welcome,’ I manage to say, but with him touching me like that, I barely can function.

John smiles and lets go of my wrist. I walk off to the kitchen, since there are no customers anyway. ‘Ellie, could you go back to the front, please? I’ll be joining you shortly, don’t worry.’

She nods and walks out.

‘So, how was the Karin?’ Jennie asks. ‘I heard it went well. I mean, not that I’m surprised, because you somehow handle those kind of people with such elegance and class. I could never.’

I ignore her. ‘John is here,’ I say.

‘Oh God, what happened? Did he breath the same air?’ she asks sarcastically.

I tell her what I did, with the macarons and the note and what he said to me. ‘I mean, it’s progress right?’

‘Yeah, sure,’ Jennie says, ‘and at this pace, you might get married at age sixty.’

‘Fuck off.’

⟢⟡⟣

‘Excuse me,’ John says, causing me to look up from the table I’m cleaning. ‘I have to get going.’ Tiki licks his face and he adds: ‘I do have something to ask.’

‘Oh,’ I say, taking Tiki from him. ‘What?’

‘I was wondering… What is your favorite book?’

‘My favorite book?’ I chuckle. ‘Why?’

‘Just wondering.’ John looks—for the first time since I know him—a bit shy. His cheeks are rose colored and I see that he has buried his hands in his pocket.

‘Well,’ I say, ‘I love to read, but Bridge to Terabithia has always been a favorite of mine.’ I cock an eyebrow. ‘You want to start a bookclub with me, John?’

He chuckles, a nervous, slightly high pitched sounds leaves his lips. A total contrast from what he usually sounds like. ‘Something like that, maybe. I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow, Darcie.’ He rubs Tiki behind her ears and says in a high voice: ‘Bye bye Tiki, I’ll bring more snacks tomorrow.’

John flashes me a shy smile, causing my legs to go to jello.

‘Bye John,’ I say. I watch him open the door, his biceps flexing in the process and I sigh deeply when I stare out of the window, to see him wandering off.

‘Miss Angel,’ Roger, one of the high school kids, says, ‘you’re drooling.’

I glare at him. ‘Shut up or I’ll spit in your smoothie next time.’


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, I’m working in the kitchen, since we’re a little short on staff, since one of the employees had a family emergency. Raye, my other best friend—who is a disaster in the kitchen, yet a miracle with an espresso machine—walks into the kitchen. Her short blonde hairs dance around her face, her arms crossed in front of her chest, all while she has a mischievous grin on her face.

‘Oh my God, what did you do now?’ Jennie asks, looking up from the dishwasher. 

‘Well, mister tall, dark and handsome just arrived and he looked really disappointed that a certain Darcie Angel wasn’t behind the register and there was no little puppy Tiki to greet him.’ She leans against the doorframe. ‘You should come out and make him his usual order. One cappuccino and a chocolate brownie. God, he should record audiobooks. I don’t care what he would read, but I’d be turned on.’

‘Enough,’ I interrupt her. I place down the dough and ask: ‘Wouldn’t that be obvious though?’

‘Goodness gracious,’ Raye says, rolling her eyes. ‘He _wants_ you and you want him, that’s what’s obvious here. Please, just go out there, make him your cappuccino and the brownie and say something about how delicious he looks today.’

‘Well, I’m not doing that last part,’ I say ‘but I’ll go out, fine.’ I take off the apron and wash my hands, before I look in the mirror to check my appearance. 

‘You look hot, don’t worry,’ Raye says. ‘Now go. If another customer comes in, I’ll take care of it. I’ve got your back, you know that.’

‘You always do.’ I walk past her and hear Tiki walking behind me. From the corners of my eyes, I see John sitting at his regular table and he notices me coming out of the kitchen, but I’m too nervous to wave at him or to even look at him. 

After I made a rosetta as latte art, I grab the chocolate brownie and I keep thinking about what I can give him today. I grab one pink macaron and a heart shaped chocolate, with praline filling inside of it. I place it on the tray, write on the small note: _to John_ with a heart and before I can regret that, I walk up to his table, Tiki already running in front of me. She jumps on his lap and licks his face.

‘Hi, pretty girl,’ he says to her, scratching her behind her ears. He holds up a doggy snack and she opens her tiny mouth. He feeds her the snack and laughs.

‘There you go,’ I say placing it in front of him.

‘Darcie,’ he says with a smile, his dark eyes lighting up. ‘You’re working today, I see.’

I nod. ‘Just helping out in the kitchen,’ I say. ‘We’re a little short staffed.’

‘Sucks to hear.’

I hear customers come in, but like Raye promised, she is behind the register to help them out. She winks at me, giving me a little bit of encouragement. 

‘You gave me another macaron and some chocolate.’

‘Everything for my favorite customer,’ I say with a smile. ‘And maybe if I give you tiny teasers of every other lovely thing we have around here, you might decide to branch out one day.’

‘That’s really sweet.’

‘Well,’ I say shrugging my shoulders, not knowing how to take his compliment. ‘Enjoy it, John.’

I want to walk away, but I’m stopped when he says: ‘Wait, I have something for you.’

‘Really?’ I ask. ‘For me?’

John nods. ‘Yeah, I thought you might like it. If you don’t, just say so, I don’t mind.’

I take a seat in front of him at the oval table and he gives me a neatly wrapped present. I carefully open the gift, hoping not to tear the wrapping paper, that on its own I love. I see the back of a picture frame and when I turn it around, my eyes nearly roll out of their sockets. ‘Oh my God,’ I say, looking at the vintage poster that is surround by a white picture frame. A basket is filled with very, almost unnatural pink peaches and roses all round it. The grass is bright green and the sky has an orange glow on it. 

It fits the aesthetic perfectly of our cafe. ‘This is beautiful, John,’ I say looking up from the poster. ‘Where did you get this?’

‘Flea market.’

‘You go to flea markets?’ I ask. ‘Never pecked you for a guy who strolls through flea markets.’

‘Sometimes, yes,’ he smiles. ‘I usually look for old books, but when I saw this picture, I instantly thought of your cafe. Figured that it would fit.’ He blushes a bit. ‘So… You like it?’

‘Like it? I love it. This fits here perfectly and we have been searching all over internet for poster to hang up. We have like two in the back, but we never hung them up, because it would look ridiculous if we only had those two, but now that we have three, I think we can place them right over there.’ I point to the left side of the cafe, where tiny lights shine on the off white wall. ‘Don’t you think?’

‘I do,’ he says with a smile, after he looks over his shoulder to check out the wall I’m pointing at.

‘Wish I could hang them up right now, but using a drill while people are eating, wouldn’t be so good for our reputation, I suppose.’ I chuckle. ‘So, probably have wait until tonight.’

‘I can help out, if you want,’ he says. ‘I think I can reach it a bit easier than you can.’

‘Are you indirectly insulting me, John?’

He shakes his head. ‘No, Darcie, I would never.’ He feeds Tiki another doggy snack. ‘Only if you want of course.’

‘Well, if it’s not too much trouble. I don’t even know if we have the right equipment, anyways.’

‘I’ll bring something with me from home,’ he says. ‘Really, I would love to help you.’

My cheeks burn. I can’t believe he is offering this and that he would _love_ to help. ‘Well,’ I say. ‘We close at seven and I don’t think it’s too late to start drilling the walls then, do you?’

‘Don’t think so. I’ll be here at seven.’ John smiles, causing me to copy him.

‘I have to get working,’ I say. ‘Really, John, thanks for this poster and thank you for helping me tonight.’

‘Not a problem.’

I lean over the table, to scratch Tiki’s head. ‘Be good to our favorite customer, okay, Tiki?’

She licks my hand in response and I tell John to enjoy his cappuccino and chocolate brownie. I walk to the kitchen, with the wrapping paper and poster in my hand. ‘Oh my God,’ I say to Jennie and Raye, who is still here, while Ellie is helping out the customers. ‘Look what he gave me. For the cafe!’

‘Oh, mister tall, dark and handsome has good taste,’ Raye remarks, while looking at the poster. 

‘And tonight he is coming back to hang this one up and the other two.’

Jennie gulps. ‘He is coming back tonight?’ she repeats. ‘Though this is such a bizarre way of flirting, I’m actually digging it. This is insanely cute.’ She looks over Raye’s shoulder at the poster and asks: ‘Where did he buy this?’

‘Flea market. He goes there to buy old books.’

‘But then he saw this and thought: let me buy this for Darcie who works in the cafe that I almost live in?’ Raye snorts and looks at Jennie. ‘He is so into her.’

‘Raye’s right,’ Jennie says. ‘So, I figure you close tonight?’

‘Yeah,’ I say, ‘think that’s for the best.’

⟢⟡⟣

Raye, Jennie and I are best friends since high school. We’ve been through it all. Jennie’s first heartbreak, my college breakdowns, Raye’s STD (that was quite the experience). We were there when Jennie’s parents died in a car accident. We were there when Raye lived in her car after she lost her job and she didn’t tell us. They were there when I broke up with my ex-boyfriend, after finding out that he was cheating on me and hid a kid from me, the entire five years we were dating. 

So, two minutes before we officially close, they have already cleaned their respective workplaces for the day. ‘Well,’ Raye says, while she stands in front of me, ‘be gorgeous, be funny and please, ask him out on a date if he doesn’t ask you.’ She places her hands on my shoulders and says: ‘You can do it.’

Jennie gives me a tight hug, wishing me luck with whatever is going to happen and the two of them walk out of the cafe, smiles nearly too big for their faces and when they close the door, it’s just me and Tiki.

I pick her up and say: ‘Your favorite customers is coming over in just a couple of minutes. So, be a good girl and be just as sweet as you always are.’ I press kisses on her head, resulting in her licking my face. I giggle, holding her up. ‘Such a cute girl.’

Tiki is about a year old. I got her right after my break up with Eric. I had to move my stuff out of his apartment, so I could move into the apartment my parents bought for me, which was almost a celebratory gift, since they really hated Eric. But the apartment was empty and it scared me a little bit to be alone all the time. 

Though Tiki isn’t that dangerous looking, she is a nice companion.

With Tiki resting on my arm, I walk to the door, to turn around the sign from OPEN to CLOSED. When I’m about to turn around, I see John with a toolbox in his hands. He is not wearing a jacket—it’s too hot for that anyways—and I open the door for him. 

‘There is my favorite customer,’ I chuckle. ‘Come on in, John.’

‘Thank you, Darcie.’ 

I close the door behind him and Tiki becomes wild in my arms, desperate to greet John. I put her on the ground and she sprints towards him. Since he was already counting on that, he catches her easily and lets her lick his face. ‘I missed you too, cutie pie,’ he laughs. ‘Yes, I brought snacks for you. Let’s ask your mommy if it’s okay if I give you a snack.’

My heart nearly stops beating after hearing him referring to me as ‘mommy’. I mean, I don’t want to be the type of girl who has a crush on a man and imagines a future wedding, house and kids, but I can’t help it. John is so insanely handsome, that thinking about a future with him, is just way too easy.

The suits he wears give a great glimpse of when he stands at the end of the aisle, waiting for me to arrive. How he is treating my dog is a nice vision of him living in the same house as me. And now he referred to me as ‘mommy’ and I know that when I’m going to sleep tonight, I will dream about us having kids, who hopefully have the same beautiful dark eyes as he has and have his same sweet giggle. 

‘Just one snack,’ I say. 

John gives Tiki a kiss on top of her head and after he put her down, he shows her a little chew stick. ‘Sit down,’ he tells her and she obeys. ‘Look like a doll.’ She lifts her front paws from the floor, tilting her head. He chuckles. ‘Good girl.’

‘I still can’t believe you managed to teach her “look like a doll” while I had trouble with “sit down”.’

John pats himself on his chest. ‘I think you lack patience.’

‘I don’t lack patience,’ I say to him. ‘She just needs to listen. I was told that these breeds were intelligent, but it took me days before she listened to her own name.’

He chuckles. ‘So, Darcie, tell me, have you thought about where you want the posters?’

‘As a matter of fact, I did.’ I hold up the three posters, the one that he gave me and the two old school posters. One of them shows to people on a date and the other one shows two little kids drinking a Coca Cola. I walk to the wall and stand on one of the stools. ‘This one,’ I say, standing on my tippy toes, ‘needs to be here.’ 

The two people on a date poster needs to be on the right side of the wall, mostly because there is a weird smudge that isn’t fungus, but also won’t go away and we really need to cover that up. 

My calves start to shake, from standing on my toes for too long and John walks up to me. ‘I got it, Darcie,’ he says, holding out his hand. ‘Careful now, we don’t want you to fall flat on your face.’

I smile, hold his hand and step off the stool. ‘You remembered where I want it?’

‘Yes, I do.’ With his index finger, he taps on his temple, causing me to chuckle. 

‘This one,’—the Coca Cola one—‘I want here, on the left side.’ I don’t need a stool to show him where I want that one. ‘And the beautiful poster you gave me, needs to be in the middle, so he can stand out. It’s by far the prettiest one.’ 

‘You think?’ he says with a smile on his face. 

‘Mhm, I do.’ I turn to him. ‘You understand my taste exactly. Very impressive.’

‘I’ll start on the first poster,’ John says, walking back to his tool box, leaning over, giving me a very nice view of his bottom. It always surprised me how great his ass looked and left me with lots of dreams, leaving me all hot and bothered. 

‘You want something to drink?’ I ask, hoping I take my mind off his ass. ‘I can make you some tea, or coffee, if you want. Water, some soda. I’ve got it all.’

‘Soda sounds good, Darcie.’ He stands up and smirks. ‘You’re blushing,’ he notes.

‘No, just a little warm,’I say quickly. ‘I’ll get you something to drink.’ 

I walk back to the register, while I crouch down to the small refrigerator, where the staff can get some different drinks than just coffee or tea. I think John would appreciate a coca cola and since I’m really in the mood for some sprite, I grab that glass bottle for myself. I open them and pour the drinks in glasses. 

I watch as John sets up the drill and I bite my bottom lip. God, his arms are so toned. He looks delicious. I sigh deeply, taking a sip from the pink straw. ‘You sure you don’t need help?’ I ask. 

‘No, I can manage.’ 

‘You sure? If you fall and break your neck, I lose a very frequent and paying customer.’

‘And here I was thinking I’m your favorite customer.’

‘Well,’ I say, ‘that too. Tiki, baby, come here. We don’t want John to step on you, darling.’ 

The light brown fluffy dog trots towards me and I lift her up, placing her on the counter. I take another sip of my sprite. John has all the things set up and he places the drill against the wall. ‘You still want those posters there?’

‘Yes, I do.’

The noise is really loud, so I cover my ears, but I see Tiki howling. When the drilling stops, she finishes her howl and then looks at me, before staring at John. ‘I’m sorry, cutie pie,’ he says to her in a high voice, ‘didn’t mean to scare you.’

He grabs a plug and pushes it in the wall. He looks like such an expert hanging up those posters, because within ten minutes, they all hang on the wall. ‘You like?’ John asks, plopping next to me on a chair, that face the wall.

‘I love it,’ I say. ‘I do feel like I need more decoration.’ I hand him his Cola that I set on the table and he nods as a thank you. ‘Thank you for doing this.’

‘No problem,’ he says. ‘I really like it here.’

‘Hence the reason you’re here every single day.’

‘Well, I feel the need to tell you the real reason I’m here every day.’ He looks sideways and says: ‘It’s because of your dog.’

‘And here I was, thinking you really liked my coffee.’

He bumps his knee against mine. ‘Just kidding, Darcie.’

With the way he is sitting, I feel so tiny. Tiki jumps on his lap and when he holds her with one hand, I feel my mind is racing to places it really shouldn’t go right now. ‘How old is Tiki anyways?’ he asks.

‘A little older than a year,’ I say. ‘I think I got her around the same time I got the cafe.’

‘So, I missed her birthday?’

‘You did,’ I say. ‘It was really rough on her, but after a long talk, I convinced her to forgive you.’

John fills the empty cafe with his laughter. ‘You’re crazy, Darcie. Tell me, did you always wanted to have a cafe?’

I shrug. ‘When I was in college, I started working at Starbucks and later on worked in a few smaller cafes. Though it was really nice and I learned a lot, I never felt like a place I really wanted to spend time. So when my boyfriend broke up with me, my parents bought me an apartment, I got myself a dog and I realized that I got a degree in International Business, so I should start a business. I’m really lucky my parents helped me financially, because without them I don’t know if I would’ve made it this far.’

‘Well,’ John says, ‘you made this place feel like a home to lots of people.’

_That’s such an endearing compliment_. 

‘And your ex-boyfriend is a loser,’ he adds.

I chuckle, bringing my hand to my mouth. ‘He was. My parents hated him and somehow let me date him for five years.’

‘Why did they hate him?’

‘He cheated on me,’ I say, ‘basically from the start of our relationship, all the way to the end and he somehow got a kid out of one of those side things he had. He has now “changed” his life and according to his FaceBook he is now a doting father.’

John scoffs, before taking a sip of his Cola. ‘What a fucking idiot,’ he says. 

‘Well, I’m better off without him anyways. He was a pain in the ass. I think him breaking up with me was the best thing that ever happened to me. Well, no, my parents helping me buying this place, getting a loan, the boring stuff that happens when you start a business. That was the best thing that ever happened to me.’

‘And getting Tiki,’ John says.

‘Of course.’ 

We both don’t say anything, just sipping our drinks and stare at the wall. ‘I should clean up,’ I say, when the glass is empty. 

‘You need to do a lot?’ he asks.

‘Just vacuuming that part and closing the kitchen.’

‘If you give me a vacuum, I’ll clean up there. You close off the kitchen.’

‘Are you sure? I mean, you are a customer after all.’

‘I don’t mind,’ he says. ‘Is Tiki afraid of vacuums or…?’

‘If you hold her while vacuuming, she don’t mind.’

I roll the vacuum to him and he plugs it in. I quickly clean up the kitchen, going over the spots that Jennie forgot and make sure that everything is all ready for tomorrow. I close off behind me, making sure everything is locked and I hear that John is done. 

Before I actually get out of the kitchen, I stop. ‘You are such a cutie,’ I hear him cooing to Tiki. I hide a bit better and hope to hear some more. ‘But that’s obvious when you have an owner like Darcie.’ His voice is deep and low, but I do hear him. I hear him kiss Tiki, but then the talking has stopped, unfortunately. 

‘I’m done,’ I say, flicking out the light in the kitchen. ‘You already…’ I try to spot the vacuum, but John has already stowed the vacuum away. 

‘I did,’ he says. He picks up Tiki as he stands up and presses more kisses on her head.

‘I can’t believe my tiny labradoodle has a man like you totally whipped for her.’

‘It’s impossible to resist this face,’ John admits, walking over to me. ‘You’re done for today?’

I nod. ‘Just have to take Tiki out for a walk.’

‘You live around here?’

I shake my head. ‘No, I’m thinking about getting a cab. Usually I take the bus, but I’m pretty tired.’

‘I can drive you,’ he says. ‘We could first take Tiki out for a walk and then I drive you home.’

‘I feel like I’ve been taking up a lot of your time. I bet you have something better to do.’

‘I don’t,’ he says. ‘Besides, I suggested it. You’re not taking up my time, I’m enjoying my time with you.’

My palms grow sweaty. He is enjoying his time with me. Apparently I’m pretty entertaining. That causes me to smile. ‘Well, if you insist.’


	3. Chapter 3

‘Don’t tell me that that Ford Mustang Boss 429 is yours,’ I say, when John unlocks his car, to place his toolbox in the trunk. 

John seems impressed, because after his eyes has widened, he beams with pride. ‘Yes, it is.’

‘What year?’

‘1969.’

‘Oh my God.’ I walk up to his car and want to touch it, but the car shines so brightly, I feel I might get it dirty. ‘My dad used to take me to car shows when I was younger,’ I tell him, checking the interior of his Mustang. ‘He was obsessed with Mustangs and I bet he would love this one.’

Though I’d rather get in the car and never get out, so I can drive in it forever, I know Tiki has to get some exercise in, so I manage to tear myself away from the car. 

‘You went to car shows?’ John asks, watching Tiki walking in front of us. ‘Never would’ve expected that from you.’

‘My dad was car obsessed and he wanted to share someone to share his love for cars with. Since my mother doesn’t care at all and I’m their only child, so he got one shot to get it right.’ I chuckle. ‘Well, it sort of worked.’ 

John snickers. ‘You love Mustangs too?’

I shrug. ‘They are pretty, I have to admit that, but… Believe it or not, I’ve always wanted a Lamborghini.’

‘Miss Darcie Angel has taste,’ he admits. 

‘Well, just taste and no money. My dad always wanted to buy me one, but I couldn’t accept that. I’d rather have an apartment if I’m being honest. Besides, how would I tell people that I own a Lamborghini and work at a cafe? On top of that, I would barely drive it, since I usually take the bus to work.’

John looks in front of him and I try to follow his gaze. He stares at three men further down the street and he seems really focussed on them. I open my mouth to say something, but John says in a low, slightly intimidating voice: ‘Let’s cross the street.’ He places his hand on my shoulder furthest away from him and slightly pulls me against his body. 

The spot where his hand touches my shoulder is burning up. I can’t believe he is casually touching me like that. ‘Is everything okay?’ I ask him, while we cross the busy road and I have picked up Tiki so she is not stepped on by others. 

‘Yeah,’ John says, squeezing my shoulder, before letting go and he buries his hands in his pockets. 

The street we go in, is a lot quieter. Normally I wouldn’t walk here after work, but being here with John, makes me feel safe and assured. Like that nothing will happen to me. 

Tiki sniffs and wants to run after a cat, but I pull her leash. ‘No, no, not today.’ She looks disappointed, but continues to walk along. ‘So, John,’ I say, ‘you know quite a lot about me, but I hardly know anything about you. I know that you always want one cappuccino and a chocolate brownie and that you go to flea markets to look for old books. Why do you do that anyway?’

‘I’m a book binder.’

‘Really?’

‘It’s just a side job,’ he says. ‘I picked it up a few years ago.’

‘That’s lovely,’ I say. ‘You sell them?’

‘Most of the times, yeah. Some I do keep, because I figure they are too nice to be sold to other people.’

‘What do you actually do for a job that allows you to visit my cafe daily?’

He smiles. ‘I work from home usually, mostly at night. It’s really boring and I won’t bore you with the details. Compared to what you do, my job is rather uninteresting.’

‘Where do you live then?’ I ask, desperate to know more about him and now seems like the perfect time to ask him that. We’re walking and no other customers can interrupt us. 

‘Mill Neck.’

I stop walking and hold out my hand to prevent him from continuing to stroll down the road. ‘You live in Mill Neck,’ I say, ‘but you drive about an hour _every day_ , so you can visit my cafe, so that after you had your cappuccino and brownie, you can drive an hour back?’

With a chuckle he shrugs. ‘I told you before, I really like your dog and driving almost two hours every day to see her, is worth it.’ He crouches down, so he can pet Tiki again. ‘Besides, I really like your cafe. I would drive a whole lot longer to sit there for just five minutes. It is calming to be there. It helps taking my mind off other things.’ John looks up and stands up straight, towering over me. ‘Should we head back?’

⟢⟡⟣

We sit in the car, with Tiki on my lap. We’re stuck in traffic—we’re in New York after all—and I lean back in the car seat. ‘Thank you for driving me home,’ I say, to break the silence.

‘No problem, Darcie.’ 

My eyes fall on a picture, buried underneath some books that are laying in front of me. I lean forward and grab the photograph. 

I feel a stab in my heart. It’s John with another woman, where he kisses her cheek. She is really beautiful and I realize that this was all too good to be true anyway. What was I thinking?

‘That’s Helen,’ he says. ‘We were married.’

_Were?_ Past tense. Possible divorce.

‘She passed away four years ago.’

Oh… Now I feel terrible. ‘Oh, John, I’m so sorry to hear that.’ I never thought he was a widower. I look at the picture again. ‘She was beautiful,’ I whisper. ‘And you two look happy together.’

John has a nostalgic smile on his face, but it disappears, when he says: ‘She was really sick. It turned out that she… When we found out she was sick, it was already too late.’ He stares at the traffic in front of him, clearing his throat. 

I don’t know what to say. I just keep looking at the picture. ‘How long were you two together?’

‘Five years, married for about four of those.’

‘I bet those were five fantastic years,’ I say.

‘They were.’ 

I place the picture back to where I found it and ask: ‘How did you manage to move on?’

‘For the first two years I was angry and then the other two years I just lived on auto pilot. I think I started to realize that I couldn’t live on like this, about two weeks before I first saw your cafe. I went to flea markets and was looking for a place to spend time at, so my mind was somewhere else, but no place was good enough. When I saw your cafe though, I felt at ease, even before I stepped foot in it.’

‘What did you like about it?’

‘The interior was calming. All the other cafes I went, were dark and I hated that feeling. But the only places that were bright and fuzzy, were McDonalds and that place for birthday parties for kids.’

I chuckle, causing him to smile as well. 

‘The soft music you always play in the background was such a nice touch,’ he continues to rave about my cafe. ‘But by far the best moment in your cafe was, was when you took my order. I had been angry for so long, that I almost forgot what basic human decency is, but you just forced me to be nice to you, without even trying.’

My heart flutters. _That was the best moment in my cafe? Me taking his order?_ ‘And after that moment, you thought, let’s go here every day?’

‘I did. I think I sat down at the same table for about five times, when someone else sat there. Though every spot in your cafe is nice, I preferred that spot.’

‘I know,’ I say with a smile on my face. ‘It took me about a month before I noticed how much it pained you not to sit at that table. Since you were the only customer that came by every day, really wanting that particular spot, I figured you deserved your own table.’

‘And that’s why your cafe is as successful as it is,’ John says, pulling up, finally being able to continue driving. ‘You know your customers and you go an extra mile to make them feel special, comfortable and at ease. You make peoples day.’ 

‘I hardly do,’ I mumble.

‘I’m serious! I think it was a couple of days ago, when this group of older people came in. They sat near my table and when you brought them their order, they read the card and said something along the lines of, how much they needed to hear those words. And I know that this is your job, but the little extra things you do, make peoples day and it’s meaningful to them.’

Obviously I don’t want to look like a total baby, but after hearing his sincere words, I sniffle. Tiki whines and licks my face. ‘I’m sorry,’ I mumble. ‘I shouldn’t cry over this.’

‘Oh, no, Darcie,’ John says. ‘I was giving you compliments.’

‘I know, I know,’ I say. ‘When I started this cafe, I was in such a shitty place in my life. I had wasted five years with a guy who I thought I’d end up marrying, I was living with my parents again and I even lost my other shitty job at a company, because he was friends with my ex. Starting my cafe was helping me get my mind off of those things. I wanted to create a safe haven for people, a place where they can forget their own problems and hopefully I would make their day. Hearing you say all of those nice things… I never knew that it made people this happy.’ I wipe my tears away and I take a deep breath. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to start crying in your car over nice compliments.’

John chuckles. ‘You are truly an angel, Darcie,I hope you know that.’

‘Thank you, John. It really means a lot.’

We arrive at my apartment building, I unbuckle my seatbelt. ‘So, you’re at the cafe, tomorrow?’

He nods. ‘Of course. I don’t want to miss a day.’

‘Well, I just want to say thank you. For everything you did today. You are by far the best customer anyone could have.’

John’s lips curve in a smile. He runs his fingers through his hair, a little unsure of what to do. ‘I’ll open your door,’ he says.

I can’t even tell him that I’m totally capable of getting out of the car myself, but he is a whole lot faster and walks around the car, to open the door. He holds out his hand and when I place my tiny hand in his large one, my heart is beating so insanely fast, that I’m afraid he might hear it. 

This is so romantic. I don’t think that Eric ever held a door open for me. 

‘Say goodbye to John, Tiki,’ I say to my dog, who really wants to have one last hug from him. She nearly jumps in his arms and he starts to laugh, causing my heart to swell.

‘Yes, cutie pie, I’ll miss you too.’ He brings his lips to Tiki’s ears and quietly says: ‘Don’t tell your mom, but I’m going to bring a lot of snacks with me.’

‘John!’ I yell, ignoring the fact that he referred to me as a mom again. ‘My dog is getting spoiled and fat at the rate you’re going. Just one snack.’

‘So, when you feed me extra snacks, it’s okay, but when I do the exact same thing for my sweet little Tiki, it’s not okay?’ He cocks an eyebrow.

I roll my eyes. ‘You’re an idiot,’ I laugh. ‘You are a grown man, Tiki is a one year old dog, who voluntarily eats cat poop off of the streets.’

John laughs loudly. ‘Touché, Darcie.’ He gives Tiki some kisses and says to me: ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?’

‘I’m looking forward to it,’ I say, holding onto Tiki’s leash. ‘See you tomorrow, John.’

I walk to the entrance of my building and doorman Hugo smiles when he sees me. ‘Good evening, Darcie. I see you’ve got a different ride than usual.’

‘He is just a friend, Hugo.’ I turn around to see that John is leaning against his car. He holds up his hand, a smile toying on his face.

I wave back, but I hear Hugo say: ‘Friends don’t look at each other like that’

What does one respond to that? ‘Good night, Hugo,’ I say instead. 

He chuckles. ‘Good night, Darcie.’

I look at John one more time and I smile when I see he is still standing there, looking at me. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone,  
> For this story I made an Instagram edit. I posted it on my Tumblr page, so if you want to check it out, I'll leave a link.   
> Thank you so much for reading my story. It truly means a lot <3
> 
> https://keanureevesisbae.tumblr.com/post/621553409019052033/one-cappuccino-and-chocolate-brownie-please

‘Get that nauseating grin off your face,’ Jennie says. The cafe has been open for about two hours and I keep staring at the door, hoping for John to arrive. 

‘I can’t help it,’ I say. I pour in the Rose tea I made for Jennie while she is on her break in a large mug and hand it to her. ‘It was surreal yesterday.’

‘And any normal girl would’ve kissed him, but not our Darcie. Our little prude.’ Raye pads my head. ‘But, to be fair, I wouldn’t kiss a guy who just told you he is a widower.’

‘Look at that, Raye Clark all of the sudden has a conscience.’ Jennie snorts. ‘And I lived long enough to see that.’

Raye glares at Jennie who just chuckles. ‘That’s just mean. I’m not totally heartless.’ She wants to say something else, but her eyes light up. ‘Mister Mustang has arrived.’

I look up. ‘Oh my God,’ I quietly say, ‘he is wearing a suit. This man is going to be the death of me.’ 

Jennie agrees a little too quickly and pushes me to the register. 

John smiles when he sees me and places his hands on the counter. ‘Good morning, Darcie.’

‘Good morning John. You look,’— _handsome, sexy, delicious, better without those clothes in my bed_ —‘sharp.’

‘Some work stuff,’ he says, shrugging his shoulders. ‘Today I want—’

‘One cappuccino and a chocolate brownie,’ I say. ‘I should make a special John button on here, so I can just press that whenever you come in.’

He chuckles. ‘What I wanted to say was that I wanted a cappuccino and a vanilla cupcake.’

I clutch my heart. ‘Hold up, I think I was hallucinating. What did you say you want?’

‘A cappuccino and vanilla cupcake,’ he repeats. ‘I’m deciding I’m going to try out more stuff here from your cafe.’ John tilts his head and asks: ‘If that is okay with you, of course.’

‘Well, pardon me for being shocked,’ I say with a chuckle. ‘One cappuccino and vanilla cupcake it is.’ 

While John pays for his order, he asks: ‘Where is Tiki?’

‘Sleeping in the kitchen,’ I say. ‘I think seeing you for so long yesterday has either disappointed her or exhausted her.’

‘That’s not nice,’ John laughs. 

I stick out my tongue. ‘Wait here, I’ll go get her.’

I walk passed my friends, who are ogling us and don’t even do it subtly. I peek around the corner and click my tongue. ‘Hi Tiki, your favorite customer has arrived.’

She sits up, stretches herself out and follows me, but when she sees John, Tiki nearly slips while sprinting to him. I walk back to the counter and see how Tiki licks his face, when John lifted her up. ‘Hi, cutie pie,’ he says to Tiki. ‘I missed you too.’ He presses kisses on her face. ‘I brought snacks. What do you think, Tiki? Will your mommy allow it today?’

‘Just one snack.’

‘All right, you heard her, just one snack.’ 

‘I’ll be right over,’ I say to him and he walks off to his reserved table.

‘ _Mommy_?’ Raye asks, when I wait for the milk to be frothed, while the espresso is almost ready. ‘Since when are you two playing house?’

‘More important question,’ Jennie butts in, ‘do you call him daddy too?’

I nearly drop the jug filled with milk. ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe you just said that.’

‘It’s a legit question. He did call you mommy.’

‘It’s because of Tiki, since I’m her owner.’ I make a heart with milk on his cappuccino and grab a vanilla cupcake and a vanilla macaron and place them on a tray, together with a note: For Tiki’s favorite customer and no, you can’t give her more than one snack!

‘Take your time, I’ve got your back, as usual,’ Raye says. With the tray in my hands, I walk up to John’s table. He is cuddling up with Tiki, causing me to chuckle. 

‘You look like such a tough guy, John,’ I say, placing his order in front of him.

‘I can’t help it,’ he says, ‘look at this face.’ John’s eyes scan the tray and he reads the card. ‘I just gave her one thing and I promise that will be it,’ he defends himself. ‘And I see you made a heart as latte art.’

I blush and I hate myself for it. ‘Just to show you my gratitude. I really appreciate your help yesterday. I already received multiple compliments about the posters.’

‘Glad they are appreciated.’ 

‘I hope you enjoy,’ I say. ‘Mister adventurous.’

John laughs, placing his hand on his chest. ‘Thank you, Darcie.’

I walk back to the register and when I see that my friends want to say something, I shake my head. ‘Don’t,’ I say.

‘We won’t,’ Raye says. ‘ _Mommy_.’

Before I can kick their ass, they rush to the kitchen.

⟢⟡⟣

I see John has finished his cupcake and cappuccino and since it’s pretty quiet in the cafe, I figure I can join him for a bit. I plop on the chair in front of him. ‘How was the cupcake?’ I ask him.

‘Delicious, I’m glad I had the guts to branch out.’ John leans back in the chair, Tiki cuddled up against his chest, her eyes shut. ‘I was wondering something and don’t feel obligated to say yes, okay?’

‘Okay?’

‘Would you like to go out with tonight after work? Like… Going out for dinner.’

I think I forgot how to breath. _He wants to go out with me tonight? After work? To have dinner?_ ‘With me?’ I ask in disbelieve.

He chuckles. ‘Yes, with you. I have some meetings this afternoon, but after that you and I could go out. If you want, of course.’

My cheeks burn. ‘Of course,’ I manage to choke out. ‘I mean, really? You seriously wanna go out with me?’

John nods. ‘I had a lot of fun yesterday and I felt like I got to know you a little better.’ 

‘Sure,’ I say. ‘I’m off at six, since I stayed in later yesterday. So… You can pick me up at seven thirty. That gives me time to go home, shower and get ready. Where is the place anyways? Something fancy?’

‘Pretty fancy,’ he says. ‘I mean, we could go to McDonalds if you want, but…’

‘No, I like somewhere fancy,’ I say. ‘Just gives me a better idea what to wear.’ 

‘I’ll pick you up at seven thirty,’ he says. ‘I really can’t wait.’ His smile is so wide, I think I’m falling in love a bit more. His hair is pushed back, revealing more of his handsome face. I could look at him forever and tonight, I can stare at him without it being weird. 

Oh my God, what should I wear? I don’t want to look too fancy, too “look at me, I like attention”, but I’m standing next to John. He is probably going to wear a suit that looks probably even better than this all black ensemble, and I have to try to not look like an idiot. 

‘What are you thinking about?’ John asks, pulling me back into reality.

‘What I have to wear.’

John frowns. ‘You look a little freaked out.’

‘I am,’ I say. 

‘Don’t be, it’s just me,’ he says.

_It’s never just you, John_. I somehow manage to keep that to myself. 

‘Besides,’ he says, smiling a bit, ‘I bet you’re going to look beautiful, no matter what you wear.’

I’m going to faint. He thinks I’m beautiful? Oh my God, is this what a heart attack feels like? I can hardly believe this. I smile. ‘I hope so.’

‘I have to go now,’ he says. ‘I’m really sorry.’

‘No,’ I quickly say. ‘You have your job and I have to do mine.’ I smile, while we both get up. Tiki looks a bit groggy from the sudden movement and licks John’s face. ‘But I’m really looking forward to tonight,’ I say, when I look up to him. 

‘I am too,’ he says. He gives Tiki a lot of kisses and I hate to say it, but I can’t believe how jealous I get of that dog. John hands Tiki back to me. ‘I’ll see you tonight.’

‘Yeah, see you tonight. Just wait in the lobby, I’ll see you downstairs, okay?’ Our hands touch when I hold Tiki. He nods as an answer, unsure of what he should and I clear my throat, not knowing what I should say next. He passes me and walks out of the door. 

I rush to the kitchen and say to Jennie and Raye (and the other employees within hearing distance): ‘I’ve got a date with John tonight!’

‘About time,’ Jennie, Raye and two other employees say. Jennie chuckles. ‘Maybe within a month, you guys have kissed at the pace you’re going.’

‘Shut your face.’


	5. Chapter 5

‘Tiki, do you think this is too much?’ I look at myself in the long mirror. I’m back at my apartment. I have showered, I have shaved and now I’m checking myself out. This is the fourth outfit I threw on. Since John usually sees me in pretty casual outfits, this looks overdressed. It’s not my regular pair of jeans with a shirt, or a skirt with a blouse of a dress paired with white sneakers.

I’m wearing a black off the shoulder dress, that flaunts my small waist and gives me a nice hourglass figure. I slip on some black high heels. I’m wearing a silver necklace with three diamonds, one that my mom gave me and I put on a rose gold ring. 

‘Tiki, I’m so nervous,’ I say to my labradoodle. I take a few steps closer to the mirror and check out my light pink eyeshadow and the red lipstick. ‘Should I wear earrings?’ I ask her.

She barks.

‘I’ll take that as a yes.’ I put in some small diamond earrings, since I don’t want to show off too much. I look at the clock. ‘Shit,’ I yelp, ‘it’s already seven thirty five, I bet he is there already.’ 

I grab my black clutch and check if I have my phone and wallet with me. ‘Okay, sweetie,’ I say to Tiki, ‘I’ll be back later tonight.’ 

Tiki rushes to the couch and curls up on her pillow. I scratch her behind her ears and grab my keys. I close the door behind me and walk down the hall. The elevator trip seems like it’s taking its bloody time, but when I hear the ping, the doors slide open. I step out of the elevator and see that there are the usual people in the lobby: the concierge, the two old men who meet here every night to play poker, to escape their wives and a woman who likes to read here. 

But my eyes fall on John right away. He looks so handsome. He is wearing a black suit, with a white blouse underneath it and a thin black tie. Though I have seen him like this a lot when he first came to the cafe, I’ll never get tired of this. His hair is pushed back and I notice that his beard looks nicely trimmed.

He stands up, straightens his tie and closes his jacket. While I walk towards him, a smile appears on his face. He holds out his hand and when I take it, he presses a kiss on my knuckles, almost making me faint. ‘Darcie, you are exceptionally beautiful.’

My cheeks start to burn up. ‘Thank you, John. You look really good yourself.’

He holds onto my hand, while we walk to the exit. Hugo opens the door and says: ‘Miss Angel, sir, have fun tonight.’

‘Thank you, Hugo,’ I say with a smile. 

I see John’s Mustang and I squeeze his hand. ‘Your car is really quite something,’ I say. ‘My dad is going to freak out when he hears that I’ve been a passenger in a Ford Mustang Boss 429.’

John chuckles and opens the door for me. It’s a shame that I have to let go of his hand, but the night is young and it was a big step for us, knowing our pace. After he closes my door, he walks around the car and gets in. He looks to the side, before he starts the car.

‘What?’ I ask.

‘You look pretty,’ he says. He starts to car and drives off to the restaurant. His fingers tap on the steering wheel. Is he nervous too? Is this his nervous tick? Am I making him nervous?

John stops the car in front of the restaurant and he says: ‘Wait here.’ He gets out of the car and I see a valet boy walking up my door to open it, but mid step he stops. John opens my door himself and smiles.

I knew this dress was too much, because I’m afraid that when I get out, I might flash someone and though I’m wearing a decent pair of underwear, I don’t think that is a good idea this early on during our date.

As a matter of fact, I don’t think that is a good idea at all, no matter how far into a sort of relationship John and I get. 

He must sense my discomfort and takes off his jacket. _God, his arms look really good in white_. He holds the jacket as some sort of curtain in front of me. 

I can get out easily, without worrying and pull down my dress. ‘That was very romantic, John.’

He chuckles. He closes the car door behind me and puts his jacket back on. We walk inside and he holds out his hand. I hesitate for a second, but then I place my hand in his. 

The waiter looks up and asks under what name we made reservations. ‘Wick,’ John says in a low voice. It’s so weird to think that this man, who looks kind of intimidating now, talks in such a high and sweet way to my dog.

‘Mr. and Mrs. Wick, follow me,’ the young man says and I send John a look. 

He simply squeezes my hand. I wonder if he minds. We walk to our table and I can’t believe we’re sitting next to a window, looking over New York City. John pulls out my chair and after I take a seat, he sits across from me. 

He orders a bottle of wine, telling me it’s the finest.

‘This is amazing,’ I say with a smile. ‘You come here often?’

John shakes his head. ‘No, rarely.’

_I have to ask_. ‘Did you mind? When that guy said Mr. and Mrs. Wick.’

John shakes his head, a tight lipped smile forming on his face. ‘No, I don’t.’ He must sense my other question. ‘It has been five years, Darcie and I’m ready to move on,’ he continues. ‘With you.’

I blush and I thank the universe that the lights are dim. ‘You barely know me,’ I say. ‘I might disappoint.’

‘You won’t.’ He sounds so confident. He asks what I want to order, but it all sounds the same and I have no idea what to order. Guess I’m not as fancy as I want to give myself credit for. 

‘I don’t know,’ I mumble. 

‘You have any allergies?’ he asks me.

I shake my head. ‘I just don’t like beans, that’s all.’

‘Do you trust me?’

‘That’s a deep question for a first date, John.’

John laughs. ‘Let me rephrase: do you trust me with ordering something for you?’

I smile. ‘Yes, I do.’

When the waiter brings us our wine, he orders something and I hope John is right and that I like it. But knowing him, I bet he knows exactly what I like. 

I have no idea what to say now. ‘I don’t know what I should say,’ I admit. _God, you stupid cow, you don’t say that!_ Apparently I can’t shut up, because I say: ‘I barely go on dates.’

He smiles. ‘Tell me something interesting then,’ he says. ‘For example… What were you like growing up?’

I chuckle. ‘Pretty timid,’ I answer. ‘I was mostly by myself during the week, except during the weekends. My parents worked and still work, quite a lot. They have a law firm, I bet you know it, their faces are plastered around Times Square. Law Firm Angel & Moon.’

‘Your parents are the Christian Angel and Somi Moon?’ John asks in disbelieve.

‘They are.’

His eyes widen. ‘Well, now you say it, I can actually see it. You look a lot like your mother.’

‘I get that a lot.’

‘But a lot alone during the weeks?’ John sips his wine. 

I nod. ‘I was pretty much on my own or I was at Jennie’s place, the girl who works in the kitchen. Long black braids, always looked sightly annoyed.’

‘Right, so you’ve been friends for quite some time then.’

‘Since kindergarten, so twenty five years, something like that.’

John tilts his head. ‘That must make you twenty nine then?’

‘Close, I’m thirty. My birthday is March 21st. How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking.’

‘I don’t mind,’ John says. ‘But guess.’

‘No, I can’t do that. I always manage to hurt someones feelings. Just say it, John.’ I take a sip of my wine and it tastes really amazing. It puts all the other wine I’ve ever drank to shame.

‘Fifty.’

I choke on my wine. I start to cough and have tears in my eyes, causing me to gain the attention from other people in the restaurant. ‘Goodness gracious, John. How on earth are you fifty? What is your skincare routine? Who does your botox?’

John chuckles. ‘I don’t have a skincare routine nor someone who does my botox.’

‘You don’t have a skincare routine?’ I ask. ‘That is so unfair. I pay hundreds of dollars every month, so my skin can look like this and you don’t do anything and you look like that? How are you real?’

‘I don’t look that good, Darcie.’

I scoff. ‘You are insanely handsome. You look so good already, imagine if you had a skincare routine.’

John looks a little bit shy and lets out his giggle, that I’ve come to love. ‘You are adorable, Darcie.’

⟢⟡⟣

During dinner we’ve managed to get to the deep stuff—you know, that hurts and normally you don’t want to talk about, but somehow you just get there. ‘Helen and I never really thought about kids. She had the diagnose chronic fatigue when we met and on top of that, she was already a little older like me. We decided that maybe one day, we might foster.’

John looks so sad and I place my hand on his. ‘I’m sorry,’ I whisper.

He turns his hand, so he can hold mine. His thumb plays with my fingers and he sends me a soft smile.

‘Do you eventually want them?’

He shrugs. ‘I don’t know, never really gave that a good thought after she passed. Do you want kids?’

Now it’s my turn to shrug. ‘I mean, theoretically, I would and my friends and I have dibs on baby names already, but there is one part that scares the shit out of me. Like, that whole pregnancy thing, I don’t mind. The part where you take care of the kid, I mean, a little scary, but okay, I can deal that. But giving birth…’ I shiver. 

John holds in a laughter, or at least, he tries, but fails miserable. He brings his hand to his lips, to prevent himself from laughing out loud.

‘Yeah, you can laugh at me all you want. When I was I think about eighteen, my mom was obsessed with this weird birthing program and forced me to watch it with her. I mean, it can be beautiful and it’s all part of life, it still scared the shit out of me.’

‘I can tell by your eyes that you’re serious.’

‘I am!’ I shake my head, looking at the view outside. ‘Why does it have to be so scary and painful? You can tear down there. After you did the baby delivery thing, you have to push out that placenta thing, that looks absolutely disgusting, leaving me wondering why on earth people would voluntarily eat that. And then there was this one time, where a woman just dislocated her pelvis. Why does that have to happen?’

‘I’m no expert, Darcie,’ John says with a smile. ‘Wish I’d known, but unfortunately I can’t tell you.’

I chuckle. ‘So, I’m always thinking that I’m more the type to foster older kids anyway. I think babies are scary.’

‘They barely do anything.’

‘Exactly, it’s boring and they’re so fragile. What if I break them?’ I take a sip of my wine. ‘Leave it to me to break a baby. Besides, I’m still young, who needs to think about kids anyway?’

John nods. ‘You look like the type that would foster an older kid,’ he admits. ‘I mean, you and those high school boys really get along. How come they always visit your cafe?’

‘I think about two weeks after the cafe opened, they were staring through the window. I walked outside and asked them if they wanted to come on. They just shook their heads, causing me to laugh at them and say: ‘You know, it doesn’t really hurt anyone to eat and drink sweet stuff in a pink cafe. If kids of your school ever ask, my lips are sealed.”. Somehow that convinced them and now they come by at least every other day. They always act so tough, but they are sweethearts. One time I overheard them talking about anxiety and how to deal with them. Though they can act like idiots, they are sweet. That Roger kid, who always jokes around, he is a real funny kid. Recently they found me on Instagram and Roger continues to leave comments, but there is one that literally kills every time I think about it.’

I grab my phone and look it up. ‘So, this kid legit says: “I’m almost seventeen, miss Angel. One year closer of being legal and one year closer to forever being together”.’ I snort. 

John laughs. ‘I like that kid,’ he says. ‘Yesterday, he actually asked me what I did to get that much attention from you. I told him it was the beard.’

‘Oh my God, I bet I’ll keep hearing about the progress of his beard.’

‘Did you answer him?’ 

‘Huh?’

‘On the Instagram.’

‘ _The_ Instagram. It’s just Instagram, John.’ I chuckle, causing him to blush. I look through my comments and say: ‘I told him: “You stay in school and find a nice girl there, or I’ll spit in your coffee”.’

‘I love how you just joke around with those kids.’ He leans back against his chair. 

‘Are you on _the_ Instagram, John?’

‘You’re not going to let that go, aren’t you?’

I laugh, shaking my head. ‘No, it genuinely shows how old you are. But I bet you’re not on Instagram.’

‘I’m not,’ he says. ‘But since you’re on it, I think I should join.’

‘Only to follow me?’

‘Yeah, I don’t care about other people.’ 

I hold out my phone. ‘Here, check it out on my phone.’

John nods and scrolls through my account. He has a smile on his face and clicks on one. ‘Tiki is adorable,’ he says, showing me the picture of my lovely dog I posted a few weeks ago. ‘How did you come up with the name Tiki?’

‘I don’t want to say.’

‘You should. I’m curious.’ 

I know I’m going to tell him anyway, so I say: ‘When I broke up with Eric, I was binge watching tons of series. I rewatched Sailor Moon, movies from when I was younger. But then I stumbled on something new, for kids nowadays. Miraculous, tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Long story short, she has an akuma, that helps her transform into a superhero and the name of that akuma was Tiki. And I loved that name. So yeah, that’s the embarrassing story about how I named my dog.’

John has a smile on his face. ‘I love the name Tiki,’ he says. He continues to scroll through my account. ‘You are so beautiful, Darcie.’

‘Stop it,’ I chuckle, while covering my cheeks with my hand. 

He gives me my phone back. ‘I won’t,’ he says. ‘Because it’s true.’

I barely give him a response. Eric was such a shitty boyfriend, never a romantic gesture, never telling me how beautiful I looked, even if I really tried hard to look good for him. And here I am sitting with a guy like John, who looks like he does and keeps giving me compliments. 

‘Darcie, not only are you breathtaking, you are the kindest woman and it shows. The way you look at people, the way you give them all of your attention when taking their order. You light up the room with your smile. You managed to show this angry guy,’—he places his hand on his chest—‘that the world isn’t too bad.’

‘Damn it, John,’ I say, before clearing my throat, hoping to prevent myself from crying. 

‘Don’t cry,’ he soothes. ‘Really, Darcie, you are amazing and every compliment I give you, is sincere. You are truly one of a kind.’


	6. Chapter 6

I don’t want this date to end. Ever. 

After dinner, John and I got in his Mustang and he drove around for a while. At one point I had even placed my head on his shoulder and I barely felt nervous. John isn’t as intimidating as he looks. 

Since I really don’t want to say goodbye to John, I invite him back to my apartment. He parks his car in front of my apartment building and he says: ‘Wait here.’

I lean back in the car seat, while unbuckling my seatbelt. John walks around the car and opens the door. He is already taking off his jacket and holds it in front of me. When I get out of the car, he closes the door behind me and offers me his hand. I slip my fingers through his and together we walk towards the entrance.

Doorman Hugo smiles and opens the door. ‘Did you two have a lovely evening?’ he asks.

‘More than lovely, Hugo,’ I answer, before walking inside. The lobby is now empty, since it’s about ten in the evening. I lean my head against his shoulder, while we wait for the elevator doors to slide open. 

‘Did you like our date?’ John asks, when we stepped into the elevator. I press the button with the nine on it and watch the doors close.

‘I loved every second of it,’ I say. ‘I don’t want it to end.’

‘Me neither.’ His thumb slowly caresses mine and we step out of the elevator. We walk up to my door and I try to open it as quiet as possible, but I hear Tiki’s footsteps click on the hard floor. 

‘Hi, Tiki, I brought someone with me,’ I say. I quickly step inside and Tiki stops midstep. She tilts her head, scanning John with her eyes. ‘You remember John,’ I tell her.

John closes the door behind us and crouches down. ‘Tiki, don’t you remember me, cutie pie?’ 

She barks, before sprinting to John. Tiki jumps in his arms and he laughs, when he stands up, with my dog in his arms, who licks his face. 

‘I missed you too, sweetie,’ he whispers, scratching her behind her ear. ‘I don’t have snacks with me, but I bet someone wouldn’t appreciate that.’

‘I can hear you, John,’ I say, placing my keys and clutch in the bowl. 

He places Tiki back on the floor, who runs back to the couch and curls herself up. ‘Looks like we disturbed a lovely dream,’ he mumbles. He looks around in my apartment and I see his eyes fall on one wall that I have bombarded with pictures. John walks towards the pictures, almost like they’re pulling him in. He places his jacket over the couch, on his way up to the walk. I decide to stand next to him. 

To be honest, I barely look at these pictures anymore. I don’t have ton of people over, who mention it to me. But standing here, staring at the pictures, I remember the fun I had, printing my favorite pictures and trying to hang them up as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

‘You are adorable,’ he says, his arm snaking around my shoulders, pulling me against his heat radiating body. ‘What are you wearing here?’

‘Hanbok,’ I say. ‘It’s a traditional Korean dress for certain occasions. I think I was about six, something like that. My mom, dad and I were in South-Korea, visiting my moms family.’

‘Cute. Do you visit South-Korea a lot?’

I shrug. ‘When I was younger we went there a lot, but nowadays, I barely go. Think the last time was about five years ago.’ My arm wraps around his waist, tugging him closer to me. 

‘Do you miss it?’

‘Sometimes, but I barely have time left, since owning that cafe and before that, dating Eric… Well, that took time.’

He nods and then points at one picture of me, Jennie and Raye back in high school. ‘These girls work in the cafe, don’t they?’

‘Mhm. I know Jennie since kindergarten and Raye since high school. Starting a cafe with them was the best decision I’ve ever made.’ I chuckle when I see the picture of me, Jennie and Raye as freshmen in high school. Jennie shaved her hair pretty short, while Raye had long luscious locks, almost to her hips. I have a straight fringe, that I retired at age eighteen, right before I went to college. 

‘This is adorable,’ John says, leaning in, to check out the picture of me and Tiki, when I just got her. ‘You want more dogs?’

‘Maybe one day, but for now, Tiki is my one and only.’

‘Of course, she’s my one and only too.’

I let out a laugh, before I grab his hand and say: ‘Come on, let me show you my favorite spot of my apartment.’ I pull him behind me and I slide the door open, that leads to my balcony.

‘This looks like your cafe,’ he says, staring at the lights. He sits on the garden bench, that I painted pink. He holds out his hand, ushering me to join him. I sit next to him. ‘You have a lovely view.’

‘I know, my parents insisted on buying me an apartment on this side of the building, so I could look over the city like this. When I moved in, I ditched all the necessary and very important things I had to fix in the apartment and made sure I got this spot to look like this.’

‘You got your priorities straight.’ John laughs and places his hand on the backrest of the bench. 

I cross my legs and turn to the side, so I can look at him. ‘I had such a great time,’ I admit.

‘Me too,’ he whispers. He swallows hard and asks: ‘Would you mind if I kissed you?’

_Do not faint, Darcie Angel_. My surroundings start to turn a little, but I somehow manage to shake my head. ‘No,’ I say with a hoarse voice. ‘I wouldn’t mind at all.’

Though I said that I wouldn’t mind, he is not moving an inch. ‘I’m just a little nervous,’ he admits.

I can’t believe my ears. This man is nervous? ‘Why? It’s just me.’

‘Have you seen you?’ He chuckles, even sounding a little nervous. ‘You are intimidating with your beauty and kindness.’

I roll my eyes. ‘Stop.’

‘It’s true. Everyone in the cafe loves you. You are the face of that cafe.’ 

I bite my bottom lip, butterflies going crazy in my stomach. ‘I thought I told you I wouldn’t mind if you kissed me,’ I whisper. ‘Why aren’t you kissing me yet?’

_This has got to be the wine speaking_. How did that just leave my mouth? I have to tell Jennie and Raye about this tomorrow,. I bet they will die. 

John chuckles, before he carefully places his hand on my cheek, his calloused thumb caressing my skin. He leans in and his soft lips touch mine, but he doesn’t kiss me yet. I can’t stand the slight distance between our lips. It has been over a year since I have kissed someone and as a woman who has reached the age of thirty, I have certain needs.

I hold his face between my hands, the short hairs of his beard prick in my palms. I still taste the wine on his lips. John opens his mouth and pulls me closer to his strong body.

For months I’ve been dreaming about this moment, but I never thought it would be like this.

He looks so strong, so powerful and I expected his kisses to resemble that. I never expected his lips to feel so soft, his touch so sweet and the kiss in general this careful.

I have to give myself a break, though I wish I could kiss him forever. I place my forehead against his. ‘Mister John Wick,’ I manage to breath out, ‘you sure know how to take my breath away.’

He lets out a laugh, his hot breath against my lips. ‘Good to know I still got it.’

I want to kiss him again and from the looks of it, John wants that too, but the ringing of his phone scares the living shit out of me. 

‘I’m so sorry, Darcie,’ he says.

I lean back again the bench. ‘It’s okay.’

‘I have to take this,’ he says, after checking his screen. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘No, don’t be.’ 

He stands up and walks inside. ‘Wick,’ he says. I stand up and walk to the edge of my balcony. I place my forearms on top of the brick wall and sigh deeply. 

It has been such a dream night. Every second of it, I want to experience it again. But that kiss, my legs are still wobbly. 

John walks back onto the balcony and I look over my shoulder. ‘What’s wrong?’ I ask him, when I notice his facial expression, a big difference than a few minutes ago. I stand up straight and lean with my back against the brick wall. ‘You okay?’

‘I have to go, something from work came up.’

‘I get it.’

‘I’m really sorry, Darcie.’ 

I hold out my hand, wrap my fingers around his black tie and pull him to me. ‘It’s okay. Are you going to be there tomorrow?’

He nods. ‘Of course.’ He leans down and presses a kiss on my forehead. ‘I can’t wait for tomorrow.’

‘Let me walk you out,’ I whisper.

He grabs his jacket from the couch and scratches Tiki, who groggily looks up. John looks at the wall one last time. ‘We should take a picture one day,’ he says. ‘So you can fill that wall with pictures of us.’


	7. Chapter 7

**John:** I’m sorry, Darcie. 

**John:** I can’t visit the cafe today.

**John:** Please give Tiki a kiss from me, okay?

**John:** I’ll try and be there tomorrow.

‘Don’t sweat it, Darcie,’ Jennie says, when she catches me staring at my phone again. ‘He just couldn’t make it.’

‘What if I did something wrong last night?’ I ask. ‘I bet I bored him. Or he realized that I wasn’t the right girl. I mean, I—’

‘Stop talking,’ Raye interrupts me, smacking me with her dishcloth. ‘You guys fucking kissed, okay? You are trying to read something in those texts that isn’t there.’

I sigh deeply. ‘Really?’

‘Of course. That man is so madly in love with you. He was already talking about filling the wall at your apartment with pictures of the two of you.’ Raye sends me a _Really, what more do you want?_ -look. ‘Have you replied yet?’

Shaking my head, I stare at the texts again. ‘I don’t know what to say.’

‘Be a little coy. Say something like: just a kiss for Tiki and not for me?’

‘God, I can’t say that,’ I tell Jennie. ‘That doesn’t sound like me.’

‘Well, from what you told us what happened last night, that is exactly how you sound,’ Raye says. ‘And don’t you dare say that it was the wine.’

‘But it was,’ I whine. 

The door opens and I look up, hoping and praying to see John, but I see Greg and Roger. It’s weird not to see the rest of their friend group. 

‘You better answer after you helped those kids,’ Raye tells me. 

I walk up to the register and cock an eyebrow when they stand fright in front of me. ‘Where is the rest of the clan?’ I ask Greg and Roger.

‘The two of us need your advice, miss Angel,’ Greg says, his voice a lot more desperate than usual. ‘Roger and I are going on a double date.’

‘No way,’ I say with a smile. ‘Roger, you listened to me and found yourself a nice girl.’

Roger flashes me a smile, one that I know for a fact has young girls going crazy. ‘Well, the thing is, Julie and I set this up, so Greg and Tina can finally do something together. You see, they are really in love, but have difficulties showing it.’

‘Right,’ I say, ‘so you and Julie is not going to happen?’

‘Well, Julie already has a girlfriend, so no.’

‘So you’re gonna keep on lurking on my Instagram?’

‘Of course, miss Angel,’ he jokes.

‘Keep on dreaming, lover boy. So, Greg, where are you going to take Tina on a date?’

‘Miss Angel,’ Greg says, ‘I was hoping you could reserve a table for us. The one right next to where the tall man who you like always sits at.’

God, is it that obvious? I can’t believe that. I’m embarrassed. ‘When are you gonna be here?’

‘Tomorrow at twelve.’

‘Then tomorrow at twelve that table will be free.’

Greg’s face lights up. ‘Really?’ 

‘Of course,’ I say. ‘I’m honored that you chose this cafe for your first date.’

‘Thank you so much, miss Angel,’ Greg says. ‘We should get going back to school. We just wanted to check with you.’

‘I get it,’ I smile. 

Roger leans against the counter and says: ‘We could cancel Julie of course and you and I get to do something together.’

Raye decides she should interfere, because she says: ‘Sorry, kid, but miss Angel is pretty much taken.’

‘No way,’ he says. ‘It’s the bearded guy, isn’t it?’

I nod. ‘Sorry,’ I say.

‘Did you hear that? It’s the sound of my heart breaking into a million pieces.’

I roll my eyes. ‘Okay there drama queen, you heard your friend. You should get going to school.’ 

Greg sighs. ‘Roge, we need to go. Leave miss Angel alone. I’m sorry,’ he says to me. ‘He is just really single and really desperate.’

‘We’ve all been there,’ I say. ‘Now get your asses back to school.’

They laugh and wave before they walk out of the cafe. I grab my phone and check his messages. Raye and Jennie are right, I should answer him.

I lean against the counter and type back a message:

**Darcie:** Okay, see you tomorrow.

⟢⟡⟣

After I arrive home from a long day at work, I close the door of my apartment and kick off my shoes. I felt like today never ended and every customer seemed… Blah… No one is like John and not having him at the cafe… It killed me.

I don’t have a text back from him, but it’s totally understandable. After the driest text I send him, I wouldn’t answer me either. 

My brain keeps going over the date. What did I do wrong? But I can’t seem the think of anything I did wrong. I assume it was that phone call. He looked slightly pissed though. I bet it was his work, a thing that he still hasn’t told me about. When I asked in about it on our date, he cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable.

‘It’s a bit complicated,’ he had said.

‘What do you mean?’ I asked. ‘Oh my God, are you a gigolo?’

John started laughing. ‘No, Darcie, of course not!’

‘How is it complicated then?’

‘Just some secret and classified stuff. I can’t really go into details.’ 

I understood at the time, but now, I just really want to know what his job is. I open up my phone and go to our messages. John doesn’t have a profile picture, something that doesn’t surprise me. He called it _the_ Instagram, something that still cracks me up.

I told Jennie and Raye about his age in the groupchat. 

**Darcie:** So the date went well and I discovered that he is fucking fifty.

**Jennie:** How is that man fifty?

**Raye:** YOU ARE FUCKING KIDDING ME!

**Raye** : What kind of secret potion is he drinking?

**Darcie:** The man doesn’t even have a skincare route, which is frightening on its own.

**Jennie:** Well, tbh tho, I always thought that you were the one that would end up with an older man.

**Darcie:** And why is that?

**Jennie:** Eric was your age and that totally didn’t work out.

**Darcie:** Thanks Jen.

**Raye:** But how was the date in general?

**Darcie:** Well we kissed.

**Raye:** YoU fUcKiNg KiSsEd?

I open up the chat of John and me again and I type: I really missed you today.

But somehow I can’t seem to press send. It sounds so clingy and we’re barely together. We just kissed last night. I erase the entire message. 

Tiki barks, pulling me out of my thoughts. ‘Oh, right Tiki, you want some food. Let me go grab it.’

And for the entire night, I try not to think about John. But as soon as I go off to Dreamland, I start dreaming about him. Starting by marrying me.


	8. Chapter 8

The next day, John arrives and when he steps inside, he has a big smile on his face, causing my heart to flutter. I think I’m falling in love with him even more. He walks over to the register, places his hands on the counter and leans over. ‘I really missed you, Darcie,’ he says. ‘I’m so sorry I couldn’t be here yesterday.’

I bite my bottom lip, to prevent myself from squealing. ‘I missed you too. It really wasn’t the same without you here.’

‘That’s disgustingly romantic,’ Jennie says, sipping her tea.

I look over my shoulder and say: ‘Your break is over. Get your ass back to the kitchen.’

Jennie holds back a laugh, but raises her hand in surrender. She walks back to the kitchen, winking at me when she stands in the doorway. 

‘So, what would you like to order?’ I ask John, tilting my head.

‘I would like a chocolate smoothie and a red velvet cupcake.’

‘Really adventurous today, mister Wick.’

‘Making up for yesterday,’ he says with a smirk. 

‘You don’t need to make up for yesterday,’ I say. ‘I bet you had something to do for work and work is important.’

‘I did. I just want you to know that… It wasn’t because we went on a date and I was too awkward or anything. I had such a great time, but it sucked that the work thing took me a bit longer.’

I place my hand on top of his. ‘I understand, John, no need to explain.’

‘But,’ he says, ‘I’m going to stay longer today. Really want to cuddle up with my girl Tiki.’

He pays for his order and I tell him that it’ll be there in a second. The cafe is pretty quiet today, since it’s around ten a.m. Weirdly enough, on Saturday mornings, it’s always pretty quiet around here. Only the older couple with their Bible verses, another woman who likes to read here and John are occupying the cafe. 

Raye walks out of the kitchen, with Tiki in her arms and says: ‘Oh Tiki, look at that. Daddy’s here.’

Is this how it feels to die? My soul practically leaves my body. ‘Raye,’ I hiss, but she’s enjoying this way too much. To make things even worse, I can hear Jennie laughing all the way from the kitchen. 

John’s cheeks flush, but when Tiki makes her way over to him, he picks her up and peppers her face with kisses. 

‘I hate you,’ I hiss between clenched jaws to Raye. 

‘I’m fucking hilarious,’ Raye retorts. ‘Can’t believe I made mister Mustang blush.’

‘I really hate you,’ I say. I make John a chocolate smoothie, put lots of whipped cream on top and some sprinkles. I place the red velvet cupcake on a plate and write ‘Glad you’re back again, John’ on the note. ‘I’m going to cut your paycheck after what you did to me,’ I tell Raye, before I walk off to bring John his order. 

He looks up and smiles when I arrive at his table. ‘There you go,’ I say. ‘I’m sorry about Raye. That was pretty embarrassing.’

He holds my hand. ‘It was funny, come to think of it.’

‘Maybe,’ I chuckle.

John presses a kiss on my knuckles. ‘God, I really missed you.’

‘I missed you too, John.’ I see he has a book laying on the table. ‘What is that?’

‘Just something to read. I really want to make up for the time I wasn’t here yesterday. Besides, I have nothing else to do today and I was hoping that you and I could spend some time after work. I can even walk Tiki today if you don’t mind.’

‘Sounds good to me.’ I hear something clatter in the kitchen. ‘Shoot, I have to go. I’ll be back shortly.’

‘You’re at work, I understand.’ He flashes me such a loving and caring smile, that I can’t believe I was doubting myself, him and us in general. ‘I’ll see you later. I’ve got company, who I will only feed one snack.’

⟢⟡⟣

I told John about the double date. Since his table is right next to theirs, he can overhear them and when I looked over at him, he mouthed that it’s going well. Julie and Roger are clearly making fun of the shy couple. It’s really obvious that Greg really, really likes her and it warms my heart that Tina’s and Greg’s love story might begin here, at my cafe.

This is what I wanted, I think to myself. This is how I envisioned my cafe to be. Where people would meet new people, maybe friends for life or their significant others. Where friends could meet up and talk about whatever they wanted. Where couples would sit, thinking about their future together. A place where parents bring their kids, to talk about life, no matter how old they are. 

‘Can’t believe the high school kids are going to end up with someone, before I do.’ Raye leans against the counter, looking over the cafe, while I’m cleaning up some crumbs off the floor. ‘Being single and ridiculously hot is so exhausting.’

‘Who knows,’ I start, ‘maybe a hottie will walk through the door.’

‘Oh my God,’ Raye says and I hear the bell that rings when the door opens.

‘A hot guy is coming in?’ I chuckle.

‘No, it’s your ex-boyfriend.’

My head rushes with the speed I’m standing up. Oh my God, Eric… I haven’t seen him since I moved out of our apartment. Okay, no, wait, I checked his FaceBook account like four months ago, but that doesn’t compare to seeing him in real life. 

His dirty blond hair is shorter than when we were dating, but he looks ripped. I never really liked the ultra ripped look on guys. Sure, guys who are toned are great—I mean, look at John—but they need their softness—again: look at John.

He is walking in with one of his best friends, Thomas, who was actually my former employee. They both have smug grins on their faces and I really wish I could throw them out. ‘There she is,’ Eric says, when he gets to the counter. 

‘What do you want?’ I ask him, crossing my arms.

‘Is that how you treat all your customers?’

‘No, just idiots who cheat for five years and hide a kid from me. Turns out there’s just one of those morons walking around in New York City.’ 

Eric scoffs, before he laughs. ‘Still not over me, I hear.’

‘Don’t flatter yourself, Eric,’ Raye butts in, standing next to me, crossing her arms as well. ‘Order something, pay up or else, leave.’

Thomas chuckles. ‘I’d like a cappuccino, preferably without spit and that pink cupcake.’

Eric leans over the counter. If my dad only knew what was happening here, he’d kill Eric for coming near me. ‘One espresso and a chocolate brownie.’

‘We’re out of chocolate brownies,’ I say, though I know there is some in the back, but this man cannot eat those. Every single time someone orders a chocolate brownie, I think back to all those times where John would order a chocolate brownie and Eric cannot contaminate that memory.

‘Well, a vanilla cupcake should do it then.’

Raye gets behind the register, so they can pay and I start to prepare to make the cappuccino. I feel tears burning in my eyes, but I have to be strong. I can’t show any weakness, though those years I spend with him were terrible and it brings me back to those times where I had to walk on eggshells. 

‘Are you really okay?’ Raye asks me. ‘I can take this order.’

‘No,’ I say, ‘I can handle it.’

I get their order ready—and don’t even bother writing them a note—and I bring it to their table. ‘Hope you enjoy,’ I say, placing it down on the surface. I don’t even wait for their response, because I feel like I’m going to kill them if I’m near them for too long. ‘So kids,’ I say to my favorite high schoolers and their dates. ‘Is everything okay here?’

‘It is,’ Greg says, ‘thank you, miss Angel.’

‘Your cafe is wonderful,’ Tina says with a big smile. She looks so adorable, with her long red hair in thick waves and the white bow in her hair. No wonder Greg likes her. ‘I really want to visit your place again. Maybe with my mom.’

‘Tina, you are always welcome,’ I say. ‘If you need anything else, just say so, okay?’

‘Thank you, miss Angel,’ the boys say and I smile at them.

When I get to John’s table, I see he is not reading anymore. ‘Who is that guy?’ he asks, scratching Tiki behind her fluffy ears. 

‘The blond guy is my ex-boyfriend Eric and the other guy is his best friend Thomas, who fired me two days after I broke up with my ex.’

‘They’re fucking assholes.’

‘You can say that again,’ I chuckle. 

‘They’re fucking assholes.’

‘You’re an idiot.’ Though I want to laugh, I do swallow hard, feeling tears already coming up, but I ignore it and blink them away. ‘You want something else?’ I ask. 

John shakes his head. ‘No, thank you, Darcie. Are you really okay though?’

‘Just some old wounds,’ I whisper, ‘nothing I can’t handle.’ I place my hand on his strong shoulder. ‘I’m just happy that you’re here, that’s all.’

He places his hand on mine. ‘Good, I’m happy I’m here too. And,’ he whispers, ‘the date behind me is going well. Really well.’

‘Good,’ I smile. 

I hear something fall on the floor and when I turn around, I see Eric looks at me with those innocent eyes. I clench my hands to tight fists and walk towards the scene. ‘Sorry, sweetheart,’ he says, in such a condescending voice, that I really don’t miss. ‘You should clean that up.’

‘You did that on purpose,’ I mumble.

‘Well,’ he says, ‘this is on purpose.’ He shoves his plate off the table and I watch it fall on the floor, shards flying around. Thank God, I gave him an ugly plate.

‘What is your problem?’ I ask him. ‘Why are you here in the first place?’

‘I wanted to see how you are.’

‘Then Google me,’ I snap. 

‘Sweetheart, you should clean the floor,’ Eric says. ‘Then I have you just the way I like it. Bend over, doing chores, cleaning up my mess. Just like old times.’

It feels like a slap in my face. I can’t believe he said something like that, in the fucking cafe in such a loud voice. I can feel people staring at me. Raye is ready to throw some fists, but then I hear a: ‘Who the fuck do you think you are?’ behind me.

‘Excuse me?’ Eric asks.

John stands right next to me. ‘You heard me.’ He doesn’t wait for an answer. He steps over the shards and the mess that is left behind, grabbing Eric by his collar, pulling him up. 

Though I thought Eric looked ripped, compared to John he looks like a tiny kid. From the looks of it, Eric is fucking terrified and I don’t think I have ever seen him like that. 

‘You clean this up,’ John says in a low, intimidating voice, ‘apologize to Darcie and never show your face back here, because if I catch you wihtin a five mile radius from this cafe, I’ll make sure you can’t even look at this place anymore. Understood?’

‘Who the hell are you, man?’ Eric asks, his voice a little high pitched, showing how scared he really is. 

I hardly recognize John. His eyes are dark, but he looks oddly calm. I yelp when John pushes Eric to the ground, where he falls flat in his espresso. ‘You clean this up and never come here again,’ John says.

Raye walks up with a mop, a bucket and a trash can and says: ‘This, Eric, is a mop and one uses that to clean up.’

‘I know what a damn mop is,’ he mumbles.

John crosses his arms and looks down to Eric. ‘I’m waiting, Eric,’ he says. 

I look over my shoulder, to see Tiki sitting with Roger and Greg, who look like they are about to dislocate their jaw and the girls’ eyes have turned into heart eyes. 

Eric cleans up, while Thomas just stares at how his friend is cleaning up, Eric’s back covered in espresso. Eric places the mop in the bucket and nods to his friend, hoping he gets up, so they can get out of this place. ‘You,’ he starts, when standing in front of me, but John pushes him towards the door, saying: ‘The door is that way, Eric.’

When the two of them have walked out, I can finally breath again. 

‘Damn,’ Roger says, ‘sir, you’ve got some balls.’

‘Mister Mustang,’ Raye says, patting him on the shoulder. ‘You are fucking awesome.’

John smiles briefly, but walks up to me. ‘Are you okay, Darcie?’

I don’t know what to say. My heart is so full right now. He really did that for me—I don’t know if anyone ever done something like that. I stand on my toes, hold his face between my hands and give him a long and heavy kiss on his lips. He is a little surprised, but his hands squeeze my waist and he pulls me closer. ‘Thank you so much, John,’ I whisper against his lips. ‘This means a lot to me.’

‘Of course, anything for you.’

I press one last kiss on his lips and say: ‘You’re getting a cappuccino with a chocolate brownie. On the house.’

He nods, a smile on his face, before he pushes some strands of hair behind my ear, a little rough, a little clumsy, but I don’t mind. It’s the thought that counts and after what he just did, I certainly don’t mind.

‘Miss Angel,’ Roger says, ‘if I had done what he did, would you have kissed me like that?’

I let go of John and flick Roger’s forehead. ‘Dream on, lover boy.’

‘So, you’re officially taken?’

I look at John and say: ‘Yeah, officially taken indeed.’


	9. Chapter 9

After the Eric-came-into-my-cafe-and-John-was-a-bad-ass-boyfriend-debacle, John and I went on tons of dates, walks with Tiki and I hate the times we’re apart. John is enchanting and the efforts he makes just for me… I hardly believe he is real and I certainly don’t think I deserve this. We went to multiple Broadway shows and somehow he got tickets for us and the seats were amazing. 

During the shows he would held onto my hand the entire night. When I was talking off his ear back in his car, about how beautiful the costumes were and the voice of the actresses, he just smiled and pressed kisses on my knuckles. He’d walk me to my apartment, kissed me goodnight and left. 

Though we’ve been dating for about a month now, I still have issues with him staying the night and he doesn’t seem to be in a rush either. 

‘Who would’ve known that Darcie Angel in love would be disgustingly cute.’ 

I place the cappuccino on the tray, before I look up at Raye. ‘I can’t help it,’ I say. ‘He is so romantic. Did I tell you—’

‘Yes, you told me,’ she interrupts me.

‘You didn’t even let me finish,’ I say. I grab some macarons and chocolates, placing them on a tiny plate with roses on it. 

‘Well, I don’t need to hear those romantic stories. It makes me jealous and sick at the same time. I already thought he was perfect, but hearing all those stories… God, I wished he liked me, instead of you.’

I stick out my tongue to her. ‘Well, he’s mine.’ With the tray in my hands I walk to his table. He still visits the cafe every day and since the Eric incident, he gets more comfortable. When he’s at the register, he leans over to give me a sweet peck on my lips and every single time my heart flutters.

‘Here you go,’ I say, placing the tray in front of him. 

John looks up and I can almost see hearts in his eyes. ‘Thank you, darling.’ He takes ahold of my hand and pulls me closer to him. ‘So, you really can’t join me?’

I pout, before shaking my head. ‘Sorry, Jennie needs some help in the kitchen. But, please, when you go, say it to me. I want to say goodbye to you. If I’m still in the kitchen, just walk in, okay?’

‘Okay,’ he confirms, although I see he finds it a bit difficult to just waltz into the kitchen like that. Tiki licks his face, as if she can sense his uneasiness. 

I give him a kiss, causing him to smile, before I walk back into the kitchen. Jennie looks up when she sees me. She kneads the dough and says: ‘Get that stupid grin of your face, Darcie.’

‘I can’t help it,’ I say in a whiney tone. ‘He is so sweet and I still can’t believe he is my boyfriend.’

Jennie laughs. ‘The only thing that stayed the same, is that you’re moving just as slow as before. How you haven’t humped the guy yet, is beyond me.’

‘God, Jen, you’re thirty. Who says humped anymore? Besides, we decided _together_ we should take it slow.’ I wash my hands thoroughly and dry them off.

‘You get freaked out when you make-out?’ Jennie asks.

She knows me way too well. I sigh deeply. ‘A little,’ I mumble. It was about two days ago when he came by my apartment, just so he could hang out with me for a while. We were kissing and I was straddling his hips, but I freaked out so much when his hands went from my hips to my ass, that I just stepped off his lap and asked if he wanted a drink. He didn’t ask about it, but I felt that he was confused. 

‘Well,’ Jennie starts, ‘Eric really fucked you up.’

‘Jen!’

‘What? It’s true. Right after you broke up with him, you told me and Raye that you never orgasmed during sex. That idiot was all about his own pleasure. I have no idea what John will be like in bed, but with the way he is treating you, I bet he is caring, loving and probably solely focussing on your pleasure. As one should.’

‘I really can’t talk to you about this during work hours,’ I say.

‘You can’t talk to me about anything remotely sexual at any give time,’ Jennie retorts.

I start frosting the cake, just so that I won’t have to answer her and continue doing so with four different cakes. John stands in the door, Tiki in his arms. ‘Sorry to interrupt,’ he says. ‘I have to go.’

‘Oh, I’ll walk you out,’ I say.

‘Don’t tongue wrestle for too long,’ Jennie says. ‘You are the manager and needed in this cafe.’

‘Shut your face,’ I say to her, glaring dangerously at here. ‘Tiki, go to your spot.’ 

She licks John’s face and trots to her spot when he puts her down on the floor, where she curls up. 

I grab John by his hand and we walk out of the cafe together, greeted by the warm August sun. 

‘Darcie,’ he says in a serious tone, causing me to instantly worry. ‘No, it’s not that bad,’ he quickly adds with a chuckle. ‘I just wanted to tell you, that next week, I might not be here everyday.’

‘Oh,’ I say.

‘I just have some work stuff to do. Don’t know for how long, but I might miss some days.’

‘Okay.’

‘Don’t pout,’ he says, holding my face between his large hands. ‘I’ll FaceTime you after you’re done with work, so I at least get to see your pretty face before I go to sleep. Besides, it’s not until next week. I’m here tomorrow.’

‘I’ll still miss you though.’

‘I’ll miss you too, darling.’

I snake my arms around his waist and he wraps strong arms around my upper body, pulling me close to his body. ‘Is it dangerous?’ I ask. 

‘Is what dangerous?’

I lean back, so I can look in his dark eyes. ‘The work stuff, is it dangerous?’

‘Not really.’

‘That isn’t comforting, John.’

‘It’s just routine.’

‘Can you tell me one day about it?’ I ask. ‘Will it not be classified one day?’

‘Maybe,’ he whispers. ‘But don’t you worry about this.’

I sigh deeply. It’s easy for him to tell me not to worry, but how can I not? I still don’t know what he does for a living, but he keeps saying that he really can’t tell me about it. ‘Just be safe, with whatever you’re going to do.’

John sighs. ‘I will, darling, I promise you. And don’t think about it too much. It’s not until next week.’ He gives me a long kiss on my lips and whispers: ‘I’ll call you tonight, okay?’

⟢⟡⟣

It’s nine in the evening and I’m about to go home. I had a lot of administration work to do, so after my walk with Tiki, I stayed a little later than anticipated. Since I’m such a slow reader, it took way longer than I wanted.

The door opens and I say, without looking over my shoulder: ‘Read the sign, we’re closed.’ When I turn around, I gasp. ‘Dear Lord, John, are you okay?’ I rush towards him. He has tiny cuts on his face and he clutches his lower back. He wraps an arm around my shoulders and leans his tall frame on me. ‘What happened to you?’

‘Just ran into some people.’ 

I pull back a chair and help him to carefully sit on it. ‘Do you want me to call the cops?’

‘No, no, no,’ he quickly says. ‘No police.’

‘John,’ I sigh.

‘No, darling, no.’ He holds my hand. ‘I’m okay.’

‘You don’t look o— Oh my God, you have a bloody nose. Wait here, I’ll be back in a second.’ I waltz to the kitchen and turn on the tap, waiting for the water to be a bit warmer, before I grab a clean towel and some paper towels. 

‘Blow your nose,’ I tell John when I get back, handing him the paper towels. ‘Don’t just stare at me, blow your nose.’

‘I’m okay,’ he says in a hushed tone, ‘no need to worry.’

‘I do worry,’ I say, a bit louder than I expected. I grab his wrist, so I can shove the paper towels in his hand. ‘You don’t just ran into people and look like that. Your jeans are ripped, your jacket looks like you’ve been dragged across the curb.’

Tiki looks around the counter, not so sure what to think of this situation. She whines, almost like she’s afraid of John. Or me, since I’m barely angry. 

‘I’m fi—’

‘Don’t you dare tell me that you’re _fine,_ John,’ I interrupt him. ‘Explain it to me. Tell me what happened.’

He leans back in the chair and pinches his nose bridge, with some paper towels between his fingers and nose. ‘Just some guys pissing me off.’

I want to explode, but somehow I manage to pull myself together. I push back his hair and clean his cuts and scrub the blood off his skin. 

‘Don’t cry, Darcie,’ John whispers, placing his hand on my hip, pulling me closer so I stand between his legs. 

‘I’m not crying,’ I say, but my voice crack and tears suggest otherwise. ‘Just worried, that’s all. You want me to call someone for you?’

‘No, I want to be with you.’

‘You knew these people who did this to you?’ I ask him. 

‘Yeah,’ he says.

‘Should I worry?’

‘About who? Me?’ John asks.

I shake my head. ‘About me.’

His eyes widen. ‘No, Darcie, no,’ he says, ‘you don’t have to worry about them. Nothing will happen to you. I won’t let that happen.’

I run my fingers through his long raven locks. ‘How dangerous is that job of yours?’ I ask. ‘And be honest. I deserve to know.’

John clears his throat and props the paper towel. ‘Sometimes it’s pretty dangerous,’ he says in a soft tone, like he doesn’t want me to hear it. ‘But I’m promoting soon, so we don’t need to worry about it every again.’

‘Will you ever tell me about it?’

‘I don’t know. Like I told you, it’s classified information.’

‘You once told be your job was pretty boring. Boring and dangerous don’t match.’

‘There is no variation, no different customers every single day. I can do my job on auto pilot. But, while it’ll be a little dangerous for a bit for _me_ , you and I will not have to worry about that in just a matter of time, okay?’

I nod. ‘Okay. How is your back?’

‘My back is just a bit sore,’ he admits and I appreciate the honesty. ‘I’ll just drive you home and then go to Mill Neck.’

‘Why?’ I ask. ‘You can stay at my place, if you want of course. Don’t mean to push. It’s just that I would hate you going home by yourself. I just want to make sure you’re okay.’

‘I would love that.’ He carefully smiles at me. ‘You’re still mad at me?’

‘I was never mad at you. Just annoyed, but not mad.’ I sigh. ‘Okay, maybe a bit angry, but… You got me worried there. Let me just throw this in the trash and we can go, okay?’

‘Okay.’

After I threw it all in the bin, I click on Tiki’s leash, who is still a bit hesitant. ‘Don’t be scared, baby,’ I say, flicking off the lights. ‘It’s your dad.’

Since dating him, I managed to get over the nickname that Raye used way too often and it’s funny to think that I now use it on such a frequent base. 

She sniffs his shoe and stands on her hind legs. He chuckles and lifts her up. ‘Hi Tiki, cutie pie, I missed you so much.’

‘You saw her this morning.’ 

‘I just really like her,’ John chuckles. 

We close off, lock the doors and walk for awhile. ‘My car is there,’ he says. He grabs his keys and wants to open the passengers door for me, but I stop him. ‘What’s wrong, darling?’

‘I can drive,’ I say. ‘You are obviously in pain and I could arrange a parking spot underneath my building.’

‘You have a parking spot there?’

I nod. ‘Just not a car. Please, John, I’ll be careful.’

‘Can you drive manual transmission?’ he asks.

‘Yes, I can. My dad wanted me to be able to do that. Comes in handy now, doesn’t it.’ 

John chuckles and says: ‘Okay, let me open the right door for you.’

The adjustments I have to make to fit in the seat are quite a lot. My chest is nearly against the steering wheel and I have to sit on my jacket, so I can actually see the road. ‘Don’t you dare laugh at me,’ I say to John, who has Tiki on his lap and is obviously holding back his laughter.

‘I wouldn’t dare.’


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first attempt writing smut 🙈

It’s the first time I see John shirtless. He is in the guest bedroom, that I painted bright pink and lays underneath the pastel blue blanket. I walk up to him and sit next to him on the edge of the bed. ‘I never knew you had a tattoo,’ I whisper, placing my hand on his left shoulder, where he has a cross tattoo. 

‘You don’t like it?’ he asks.

‘No need to be insecure, mister Wick,’ I chuckle. ‘I don’t like them on me, but really love them on you. I’ve always had a thing for guys with tattoos.

‘Did Eric have tattoos?’ 

I shake my head. ‘He was scared of needles.’

John scoffs. ‘Pathetic.’

I can’t help but laugh. Since Eric stepped foot in my cafe and John kicked him out, I see him staring out of the window, almost like he is hoping to see Eric. We saw him the other night, when we were on a date. Eric and John locked eyes and my sad ex-boyfriend turned around and practically ran away.

‘How are you feeling? Okay?’

‘Safe and sound, surrounded by this much pink.’

I roll my eyes. ‘Shut up.’ I lean in, so I can give him a peck on his lips. He places his hand on the back of my head, fingers twisted through my hair, so he can pull me closer against him, to kiss me a bit longer. 

‘Why don’t you stay?’ he whispers.

‘Stay where?’

‘Here, with me tonight.’

My cheeks flush. ‘I don’t know,’ I whisper. 

‘Can I ask you an honest question?’

I sit up straight. ‘I know what you want to ask,’ I say. ‘You want to know why I’m being this prude. Why we haven’t had sex yet.’

‘Well, not exactly in those words,’ he says. ‘Is it something I did?’

‘No, John, it’s not something you did. This is totally me.’

‘Do you want to tell me about it? I respect it if you don’t want me to, but maybe I can understand you a bit better.’

Knowing that he will eventually find out, I take a deep breath. ‘It’s just that I’m scared.’

‘Of me?’

‘Of the act itself,’ I explain. ‘Eric was my first and only and after we broke up, I never engaged with anyone in… Sex or anything that has to do with that. I came from a pretty “prude” household, where talking about sex wasn’t something you did. So, I…’ I look at my hands. ‘When I had sex with Eric, it was only about him. I kept wondering why Jennie and Raye were raving about it, since it was never really pleasurable.’

John pushes himself up. ‘Are you telling me that you never had an orgasm before?’

God, why am I blushing? Hearing the word “orgasm” from his mouth, shouldn’t make me, a thirty year old woman, blush like this. ‘Well,’ I whisper, ‘not when I was with him.’

Thank God, he understands the underlying meaning. John places his hand on my cheek, a smile on his face. ‘You, Darcie Angel, deserve the world,’ he whispers. ‘You are amazing, you are talented and the most loving person I’ve ever met. I’m really sorry you wasted five precious years of your life on that douchebag, but I promise I’ll be better, okay?’

‘I know you will,’ I chuckle. ‘Just stay here. I’ll close off.’

After I checked all the locks, gave Tiki a kiss, I wander to the guest bedroom, where John has made himself comfortable. I step in the bed next to him and stare at the ceiling.

‘Did you love him?’ John asks.

I shrug. ‘I don’t know, actually. I mean, I said it to him and I thought I meant it, but… When I’m with you, it all feels so different, you know?’ I turn to my side, so I can look at him. ‘The things you do for me were things that he never did.’

‘He really hurt you, didn’t he?’

‘He did,’ I answer. I place my hand on his bicep. ‘John…’

‘Yes, sweetheart?’

‘I think I love you.’

John stays exceptionally silent, only freaking me out more. I shouldn’t have said this, I think to myself. It’s way too early to drop a bombshell like that. He looks to the side. ‘Well, Darcie,’ he says, ‘I love you too.’ He turns on his side, groans a bit in the process and pulls me closer to his chest. ‘Is this okay?’ he asks.

‘More than okay.’ I place my hand on his toned chest and press a kiss on one of his scars. ‘John, I never thought that I would meet someone like you. Someone who does what you do to me, I can barely comprehend it.’

‘You deserve it, Darcie.’ 

I press a kiss on his lips. ‘I’m sorry for not being the girlfriend you deserve,’ I whisper against his soft lips. 

‘You are the best girlfriend there is. You’re way out of my league anyway.’ He pulls me closer to his body and kisses me. His hand wanders underneath my pajama shirt, his calloused fingers touching my bare skin. ‘Is this okay?’

‘It is.’

‘If you want me to stop, just say so, promse? I don’t mind.’ He smiles carefully.

‘You sure?’

‘I’m sure, sweetheart.’ He squeezes me in my waist. ‘I can’t believe you love me,’ he chuckles, causing me to laugh as well. John kisses me again, my hands carefully touching his chest, uncertain what I should do. He rolls me on my back. Slowly he unbuttons my pajama shirt, leaving me bare and I turn in a blushing mess. ‘You want me to stop?’

I shake my head. ‘No, just a bit nervous, that’s it.’

‘You are so fucking beautiful, Darcie,’ he whispers, before pressing kisses in my neck. His hand travels down, to hook his fingers around the waistband of my shorts. He non-verbally asks me for permission and I give him a simple nod. He pulls down my shorts and underwear. My breathing becomes heavier, partially because I’m really nervous, since I’m pretty naked and that hasn’t happened in a long time. 

He leaves a trail of kisses from my neck, the spots between my breasts, my stomach and my inner thighs. He sits between my legs, spreading them further apart. 

I get ahold of his hair and pull him towards my aching center. How long has it been? When did I ever feel this good?

John looks up, his dark eyes staring at me. ‘Is it okay for me to continue?’

‘Yes,’ I manage to choke out. 

His tongue laps over my wet slit and a moan escapes my lips. He has a sly smile on his face and says: ‘That’s such a pretty sound.’

I place my hand over my eyes, while my entire face burns up. ‘John, don’t say stuff like that.’

‘Why not, sweetheart?’

‘Because it’s embarrassing.’

He kisses my inner thigh. ‘Don’t be embarrassed,’ he tells me. ‘You are with me, remember that. I won’t judge you. I would never do that and besides, I want to know when I make you feel good, so you should let me know.’

He is so sweet and I wonder what I did do to deserve him, I nod and my fingers are tangled in his long locks. John’s tongue flicks around my bundle of nerves. I quiver involuntarily, closing my eyes and trying to get my breathing at least a little normal, but the way his skilled tongue laps between my lips, is making it nearly impossible. I buck my hips against his mouth, as he sucks on my clit. 

I let out a whine when he stops. He chuckles and climbs on top of me. His lips crash on mine and I can taste myself on his lips. He lays next to me on his side. He wets his fingers between my lips, before slowly pushing in his index finger. I gasp against his mouth. ‘John,’ I whimper, spreading my legs a little wider.

‘Are you feeling good?’ he asks.

‘Mhm. I love you so much.’

He smiles against my lips. ‘I love you too, sweetheart.’

‘Another one,’ I beg. ‘Please.’

John pushes in another finger, stretching me out. He fingers me in such an agonizingly slow pace, causing me to mewl. His thumb toys around my clit. I roll my eyes back and a struggled moan leaves my lips. ‘There you go, sweetheart.’ He slowly speeds up his movements and I dig my nails in his shoulder. 

I pull his face to mine and press an open mouthed kiss on his mouth. He smiles during the kiss. His chest pressed firmly against mine. I push my legs together and I manage to choke out: ‘I’m really close, John.’

‘I know, sweetheart, just let go, okay?’

My toes start to curl, the familiar feeling coiling up inside of my stomach. I shake against his large frame of pleasure and he lets me ride out my high. He pulls his fingers out and holds me close to my body, peppering my face with kisses. When his lips touch mine, I don’t let go. I open my mouth, letting my tongue explore his. 

‘Call me a little premature on this,’ I whisper when he lets go to catch his breath, ‘but in the nightstand are condoms.’

He cocks an eyebrow. ‘Darcie,’ he says with an amused grin on his face. ‘I didn’t expect that from you.’

‘Well, maybe this’ll ease your mind: I was too scared to keep them in my room so I kept them here,’ I chuckle. 

‘That’s my girl,’ he laughs. ‘You still want to continue?’

I nod. ‘I really do.’

John rolls over to grab the box of condoms. He pulls one out, places it on the flat surface of the wooden nightstand. He kicks off his baby blue boxer short. 

_Goodness fucking gracious._ My nerves were finally settling down, but my God, he is big. I clear my throat, taking off my pajama shirt, since I’m a sweaty mess, hoping to ease my mind. John must sense my uneasiness and says: ‘I’ll go slow.’

‘I know.’

‘And if I hurt you,’—he kisses me while settling between my legs—‘just tell me. We can take our time. We have the entire night.’ 

After he rolled on the condom around his thick length, his tip teases my entrance and slowly enters me, after he asked one last time if I still wanted this. I wrap my legs around his hips, urging him to go in further. He makes sure I get the time to stretch around his thick cock. 

He buries his face in my neck and sucks on my delicate skin. 

‘Wait, wait, wait,’ I say, when he’s halfway in. Tears prick in my eyes, the stretching sensation causing me to bite my bottom lip. 

‘Still doing okay?’

‘Just give me a moment,’ I whisper. I hold his face and give him a long kiss on his mouth. He brings his hand down, his fingers playing with my clitoris. ‘I’m okay.’

‘Sure, baby?’

‘I’m sure.’

John’s thrusts are slow, but he picks up the pace. ‘Darcie, you feel so good around me,’ John grunts and he leaves a sloppy kiss in the crook of my neck. 

‘Faster, John,’ I moan against his hair. 

His strong hands hold me firmly by my waist, pushing me against the mattress. 

‘I’m really close again, John,’ I whisper, realizing my second orgasm is nearing way faster than I originally thought it would.

‘I know, baby, me too.’

I close my eyes and my legs start to quiver with ecstasy, tears burning in my eyes. As I’m still buzzing from my orgasm, John groans, his thrusts turn sloppy and buries his face in my neck as he rides out his high. 

We’re a panting mess and he slowly pulls out. He throws the filled condom in the bin and pulls my sweaty body against his. ‘That was something,’ I say, finally catching my breath. 

‘Was it okay?’ he asks, a little insecure, something that I find insanely endearing when he’s like that. ‘I didn’t hurt you, did I?’

‘No, of course not. Though I must say, mister Wick, I’m probably sore tomorrow.’

John starts to laugh. ‘You sure know how to boost my ego.’

I wrap my leg around his and curl up against his side. ‘How is your back?’

‘Good,’ he answers. ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too, John and… I know thanking someone for sex is weird, but I feel like I should. You… I can’t even say it, so please, don’t laugh, okay?’

‘I would never.’

‘You made me feel really good. I don’t think that sex is that overrated anymore.’

He starts to laugh and I slap his chest, yelling: ‘John Wick, what did I just asked you not to do?’

‘I can’t help it, sweetheart. You are adorable. Just so you know, you made me feel really good too. I only want you.’


	11. Chapter 11

It has been a week after our first time and I was still living on cloud nine. 

Until two days ago, when he had to leave for work. According to Jennie and Raye, I wasn’t my usual happy self, but that was mostly because I was so worried about him. Though he had texted me multiple times a day, it was still not enough. Every second I’m apart from him, makes me feel a little empty from the inside. I know I shouldn’t be that dependent on a man, but with John I can’t help it. 

I feel so happy when I’m with him and staring at his empty table for two days straight, has been pretty hard. 

But after the two longest day of my life have passed, I get in the Mustang with Tiki. John told me he didn’t need his car and he wanted me to drive it when I go to work. _Because then I know for sure you get home safely_ was his reasoning.

I mean, you don’t hear me complaining. I even send my dad a picture with me in the chauffeurs seat, causing him to be very jealous and nearly leaving mid trial, just so he could see it. 

With the window open and the radio turned on, I drive the car back to John’s house. He is finally back home and I hope he is doing all right. When he called me earlier this day at work, he told me he was home again and he hoped we could meet. Since I had never been to his house, I really wanted to go there. 

And of course, because I missed him a lot.

I park the car in front of the car and I tell Tiki: ‘We’re finally at John’s place. Please be nice, don’t chew on stuff and please don’t pee anywhere, okay?’

Tiki barks and I get out of the car, letting her jump out. I grab the Kimchi Fried Rice from the night before from the backseat and I hear the front door open. John walks up to me and scoops me up in his arms. ‘I missed you so insanely much, Darcie,’ he says, pressing tons of kisses in my neck. 

I squeal, trying to wiggle out of his arms, but he is too strong and holds me close to his body. ‘I missed you too,’ I chuckle. ‘I brought some Kimchi Fried Rice with me from last night.’

‘You are the best.’ He puts me down, only to scoop up Tiki, to pepper her face with kisses as well. ‘I really missed you too, sweetheart,’ he says in a high voice. With Tiki in his arms and holding my hand securely in his, wewalk inside his house. 

I’m not blind and do notice the tiny limp in his walk, but since I want to keep it as light as possible, not wanting to bring up a lot of work related stuff, I purse my lips together, physically restraining myself from saying anything.

I place the duffle bag on his counter. ‘Your house is pretty plain.’

Tiki nearly slips on the shiny floor, but recovers herself quickly. She jumps around John’s feet, clearly missing her favorite customer like crazy. 

‘You can say it’s boring, Darcie,’ he laughs.

‘Well, I just miss some pink accents.’

John nods. ‘When Helen was still alive,’ he says, in a much more serious tone, ‘the house was much warmer. She loved a more natural color palette. More… Brownish, earthy colors, if that makes any sense at all.’

‘I get what you’re saying. Raye is all about those colors too. It’s always very cosy at her place.’ 

‘I just lack the fantasy to make a house feel like home.’ 

I frown. ‘I thought you lived here with Helen?’

‘I did, but…’ He sighs. ‘The house got burned down not long after she passed away.’

‘Oh my God,’ I exclaim. ‘John, that’s terrible. I bet a lot of her stuff got…’ Destroyed? Burned? How do I even put this into words, without sounding so harsh?

He nods. ‘Yeah, I ran inside a few times, hoping to recover the most important stuff. It’s on that table over there.’

I notice a small table and see some stuff laying on the surface. I walk towards it and see multiple pictures of him and Helen. They looked so happy, very in love. It makes me happy to see that there was a time that he was so happy. I notice a bracelet, but I decide not to touch anything. ‘She was really beautiful,’ I admit.

‘She was indeed.’

‘And from the looks of it, you love her very much.’ I turn around and see that he is heating up the left overs. He just nods at me, clearly not wanting to talk about this more. 

I follow Tiki, who trots to the living room. How a human being can function in this kind of sterile environment is beyond me. The only colorful thing around the house are the pictures. I hardly think that can be good for anyone. I think my house barely has the color grey in it. 

Tiki follows her nose and has to sniff every piece of furniture John has here. I check out the glass dining table, that has zero scratches on it, which means that John never eats here or he is a neat eater. In that case, I need to work on my table manners. 

Underneath a pile of books, I notice a piece of paper. The word _bounty_ pops up. I pull the paper from underneath the books and check it out. _Four million dollars?_ That’s a whole lot of money. I would love to have this much money. I think I would buy myself a Lamborghini and my father a Mustang. 

A name is printed above a picture of a man and some information about him is given. 

Why do I feel like this is something from a movie?

I grab my phone out of my back pocket. I almost feel as stupid as Bella in Twilight when she looks up the word “vampire” on the internet, but since I really don’t know anything about a bounty and what that means, I cut myself some slack. 

_A sum paid for killing or capturing a person or animal_.

My heart stops functioning for a minute. Is that what John does? Is that the _confidential_ thing he does for a living? My sweet John, the one who hugs me when I’m a little sad, who makes me laugh and who loves my dog unconditionally? That John is an assassin?

Maybe I shouldn’t jump to conclusions, but I can’t really help myself. Was that the reason that he was beat up last week? Was that the reason he didn’t blink an eye when confronting Eric?

‘John,’ I say, when I walk back to the kitchen. ‘I’m going to ask something stupid, so please, don’t judge me okay?’ 

He is stirring the rice in the pan, the smell reminding me of when I was younger and my mom was cooking or when we were in South Korea, my grandma would make us. ‘You know I would never judge you,’ he says, looking up and flashing me a dashing smile.

It can’t be true, I think to myself. John can’t be what I think he is.

‘What’s this?’ I hold up the piece of paper.

All the color drains out of his face, which on its own is a tell all. ‘Sweetheart,’ he starts, ‘let me explain.’

I don’t let him explain. ‘So, it’s true,’ I say. ‘You’re an assassin.’

He visibly cringes. ‘Please don’t call it like that.’ He turns off the stove and steps away from the kitchen island. ‘I can explain.’

‘How?’ I ask, my voice trembling, partly because I’m scared, but mostly because I’m hurt. He lied to me. Or at least, thought he could hide this from me. ‘I mean, it’s really easy isn’t it? You kill people for a living.’

‘It’s not like that.’

‘I’m not stupid, John!’ I yell at him, raising my voice. ‘How the hell is it not like that?’

John clenches his jaw, not saying a word to me. 

‘Were you planning on telling me this? Like ever?’

‘I wasn’t,’ he admits. ‘Because I’m trying to get out. I got out once before, when I met Helen. After she died, I somehow rolled back into the business. But then I discovered your cafe and I met you and fell in love. So… I’m trying to get out again, for you… For us.’

Sure, that sounds romantic, but that’s not what I want to know. ‘Is that why you got beat up that night?’ I ask. ‘Last week?’

He doesn’t even look at me.

‘John, answer me this then: when you “ran” into those people… Did you kill them?’

He sighs and his silence is my answer, causing my stomach to turn.

‘You killed people and two hours later you are making love to me?’ I slam the piece of paper on a cupboard, causing Tiki to walk up to John, plopping next to him. ‘You are fucking unbelievable. How can you kill people, but also be how you are?’

‘The man you got to know, that’s who I really am. I’m not the cold blooded killer you think I am.’

‘You kill people for a living, John. You killed people and after that, you fucking made love to me. Those hands that have murdered people, touched me!’ I nearly pull all my hair out. ‘I have to go. Tiki, come on girl.’ I grab the duffle bag from the counter and march to the door.

‘Darcie, please don’t go,’ he begs, walking behind me like a puppy, followed by Tiki. ‘Please, let’s talk about this.’

‘What is there to fucking talk about?’ I ask him, turning around when I’m at the door. ‘You are an assassin and I’m a manager of a cafe who really can’t deal with that sort of crap in my life. Tiki, come here!’ I command. 

My dog doesn’t leave his side. She whimpers. 

‘I said, come here. We’re leaving.’ I grab the leash out of the bag. 

She slowly sneaks up to me and lets me put the leash on her.

‘I can give you a ride,’ he says. 

‘No fucking way, John. You’re not giving me a ride. I’m going to hail a cab or take the bus, because I can’t be with you anymore. I can’t.’

John looks hurt after my harsh words. Knowing that I hurt him, hurts me, but I can’t stay here. I simply can’t.

I pull Tiki with me and open the front door. ‘Goodbye John,’ I say and I close the door behind me.


	12. Chapter 12

‘Miss Angel,’ Tina, Greg’s girlfriend says, ‘where is your boyfriend?’

It has been four days since I stormed out of John’s house and since he hasn’t come to the cafe, I haven’t seen him since. I still didn’t have the heart to remove the _reserved_ sign, because no one can replace John. 

‘Yeah,’ Roger says, ‘we haven’t seen him in days and to be honest, you look kind of miserable.’

‘Geez, thanks Roger,’ I huff, placing the tray on their table, ‘you really know how to cheer a woman up.’

‘I’m sorry,’ he says, ‘but you barely smile anymore. We’re worried.’

‘It’s nothing serious. We just got into an argument. That happens in relationships, no matter how old you are.’ I sigh deeply, thinking about his lovely smile when he sees me again. ‘Besides, some relationships aren’t meant to last forever and maybe this one belongs to that category. I’ll get over it.’ I place my hand on Roger’s shoulder and say: ‘If you kids need anything else, just let me know.’

‘You could give me mister John’s address, so I can go there after school to beat him up.’

Greg rolls his eyes. ‘Like you would stand a chance against him.’ He has placed his arm around Tina’s shoulder and I’m really happy to see him this blissful and content. ‘Thank you, miss Angel.’

‘You’re welcome.’

I go back to the register and while I’m cleaning up the machines, I can’t help but stare at another young couple. Today, and the days before that, the cafe seems to be filled with couples in love. Normally I couldn’t care less, I even liked it a bit, but right now, I want to kick them all out. Only pathetic single losers allowed in my cafe.

I did tell Jennie and Raye about the whole assassin thing and I could’ve known that Raye would find the whole thing insanely hot. She kept saying how romantic it was when he said he would get out for me. 

_For us._

I mean, she’s right, but I keep thinking about how dangerous it is on the other hand. Every time he kills someone, he angers a family, friends and loved ones. What if they come after him? 

What if they come after me, my friends or Tiki?

The door opens and secretly I hope it’s John, but it’s the UPS guy, with a brown package in his hands. I walk up to the register and he places the package in front of me. ‘Miss Darcie Angel?’ he asks.

I nod. ‘That’s me.’

‘Could you sign here, please?’

I give the man my signature and thank him. It is addressed to me—and not the cafe—and I open up the package. It’s a pink book. I open it to the first page and I gasp when I read what’s on there.

It’s Bridge to Terabithia, but underneath the title, I see a stamp.

_Bound by John Wick_

Tears fill in my eyes. I remember him telling me he bounded book as a side job and what seems like a long time ago, he did ask me about my favorite book. I forgot I told him about it.

A piece of paper slips out. I quickly pick it up, before Tiki can destroy it.

_Dear Darcie,_

_I’m sorry for what happened the other day. I really hoped you didn’t have to find out about this and especially not the way you did. I hoped that I could get out and start my new life with you. I was and still am ready to start over again._

_I’m close to officially being out and maybe after that, I’ll visit your cafe. Maybe for the last time, because I would totally understand if you don’t want anything to do with me._

_But I need to say properly goodbye to you then._

_You changed me. Everything I told you over the past few weeks, I meant it. After Helen, I never thought I would start over with someone, but your cafe and you just showed me that even someone like me could get a second chance._

_My last and final job will be tonight. I understand if you can’t forgive me, but I would really appreciate it, if you gave me another chance._

_I know I told you this before, but I really need you to know this: The man you got to know, is the man who I truly am._

_I love you, Darcie and I always will. You are the love of my life and you will stay the love of my life forever._

_Please give Tiki a kiss from me._

_Lots of love,_

_John_

‘Come here,’ Raye says, pulling me to the kitchen. ‘Ellie, I’ll be right back,’ she tells our young employee. ‘What did you get?’

I show her the book and the letter and only after Jennie wraps her arms around my shoulders, I realize that I’m crying. 

I feel Tiki’s paws against prick in my legs. Raye picks her up. ‘You go home,’ she tells me. ‘Take Tiki out for a walk and then after work, Jen and I will bring you chocolate, wine and we’ll talk, so you might feel better, okay?’

⟢⟡⟣

Poor Tiki, I took her for a three hour walk and the only reason we went home, was because I was starving. I eat some leftover curry from yesterday and sit in front of my picture wall. John insisted on filling up this wall with tons of pictures of us.

Since I’m really particular about the pictures I want, I only hung up two so far. 

One is a picture I made of him and Tiki. We took her out for a walk and since Tiki kept pulling the leash, John ran after her. Once he got out of breath, he laid down flat in the grass. Tiki jumped on his chest and he let her lick his face. I had to take a picture of this, to make sure I get to remember this moment. The way he loves my dog, I hardly think he was real.

The second picture was when we went out for dinner, on our fourth date. I was wearing a blush colored dress, that was midi length and hugged my figure in all the right spots. John asked Hugo if he would take a picture of us and I never knew that Hugo is a true photographer. He even laid down flat on his stomach, to make the best picture of us. 

I sigh deeply. 

I really miss him. I miss his morning text and his confused look when I ask him to take a picture of me. ‘But why?’ he would ask.

‘So I can post it.’ I would bite my bottom lip and add: ‘On the Instagram.’

I open up his letter again, so I can read it over and over again. I love him so much. 

My friends barge through the door. ‘Stop the pity party, Darcie Angel,’ Raye yells. ‘We are going to change in our pajamas, eat chocolate and drink wine.’

‘Do we really have to?’

‘Yes, sweetheart, because when we eat the chocolate, and drink some wine, we’re going to have a long talk.’

Jennie walks up to me and says: ‘You really need to think about this situation.’

‘Why?’ 

‘Because you’re miserable.’ Raye walks up to my kitchen. Just now I realize they are already wearing their pajamas. ‘Go change into your pj’s and join us.

Five minutes later, we’re all dressed in matching pajamas, a tartan pajama set that we bought together a few years ago. Jennie has the blue one, Raye has the yellow one and I have the pink one. ‘After reading that letter,’ Raye says, ‘and having to witness your disgustingly cute behavior on almost a daily basis, it is really obvious that this man loves you.’

‘But he is a killer,’ I say.

‘Have you ever felt not safe with him?’ Jennie asks. She doesn’t give me time to answer, because she continues: ‘Have you ever not felt loved? Did he literally threw Eric in his own mess and pushed him out of the door, because he was protecting you? Does he really love your sweet little Tiki? Has he told you that he would get out for you? That the man you got to know, the man is who he truly is?’

She’s right though, I think to myself. It’s all true. John loved me in a way that no one has ever loved me before. All the things he did for me…

‘Has he fucked you that good that he made you orgasm twice in one session?’

‘Raye!’ I say.

‘Sorry, sorry, miss Prude. Has he made love to you that—’

‘Don’t finish that sentence,’ I interrupt her. Leave it to her to make it sexual. ‘God, I love him so much, but the assassin part… I can’t seem to forget that.’

‘When he got out for Helen,’ Jennie says, ‘he married her and they were together for five years. The woman got sick, but he didn’t leave her side. What does that tell you about him?’

Everything I need to know, basically.

‘What he had with her, a normal life, he wants that with you.’ Jennie grabs my hand. ‘He loves you so much and… I would hate it if it didn’t work out between the two of you.’

Raye scoots closer to me and says: ‘You want him to sit at that table. If you were really over him, you would’ve removed the _reserved_ sign. You don’t want someone else to sit there. You want him.’

It’s true. I want him. I love him. With all my heart. I look over at Tiki, who has curled herself up in a shirt of John’s, one that he left here and one that I can’t seem to get rid off. 

‘You guys are right,’ I say. ‘I only want him.’

‘It only took four days, a lovely letter and some wine,’ Raye says to Jennie, high fiving her in the progress. 

‘But I won’t call him tonight, though,’ I say. ‘It’s his final job and I can’t just call him. I don’t want to distract him.’

‘But you’ll call him tomorrow, right?’ Raye asks, cocking an eyebrow.

‘I’ll call him tomorrow.’

As if on cue, my phone starts to ring.

‘Maybe it’s mister Mustang,’ Raye says, grabbing my phone. She checks my screen and furrows her brows. ‘Oh, unknown caller.’

‘Maybe it’s him though,’ Jennie says.

I grab my phone and answer. ‘Hello.’

‘Is this Darcie Angel?’ The man on the other end of the line sounds so polite. Almost a bit preppy.

‘Yes, this is her.’

‘My name is Winston, I own the Continental hotel. I’m calling on behalf of Jonathan Wick.’

That can’t be good, I think to myself. ‘Is he okay?’ I manage to ask, while my heart rate is out of the roof and my palms are all of the sudden really sweaty.

‘During is final… _job_ , there have been some issues.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Miss Angel,’ Winston says, ‘Jonathan has been shot.’


	13. Chapter 13

I didn’t even think to change out of my pink pajama, but when I enter the Continental on my white sneakers, followed by my two best friends, I realize not only do I look ridiculous, my “ensemble” looks crazy as well.

This place is so chic, so clean and everyone in the lobby looks like a million bucks and I know that I stick out like a sore thumb, my friends really close second. On top of that, my face is puffy from crying the entire drive from my apartment to the Continental—I must look like a mess.

I see some people looking at me and I’m thanking the universe that I kept on my bra. 

An older man, a bit taller than me, walks up to the three of us. ‘You must me Darcie,’ he says and I instantly recognize his voice. 

I nod. ‘And you must be Winston.’

‘I am indeed, my dear. If you girls would follow me.’

We walk to the elevator and when we step in, he presses a button. We’re going to the tenth floor and since Raye can’t keep quiet, she asks: ‘Is John okay?’

‘Jonathan has been through a lot,’ Winston says, ‘but he always recovered.’

She lifts up Tiki and scratches her behind her ears. ‘With all due respect, sir, that wasn’t an answer to my question.’ 

Winston sighs. ‘He is awake,’ he says, causing me to let out a breath out of relief, ‘but he got shot in his left leg, a weak spot of his. The recovery might be a bit… Difficult.’

_Oh John…_

We walk to the room and Winston opens the door for me, leaving it ajar. 

‘You want us to go with you?’ Raye asks. 

I shake my head. ‘No, I’m sorry. I need to do this alone.’

‘We get it,’ Jennie says, pulling me in a tight hug. ‘We’ll wait for you.’

‘Is there a room where we can stay for the night?’ Raye asks Winston.

He nods. 

Raye gives me a kiss and even Tiki licks my face. I hesitate for a brief moment, but then I walk to the door and close it behind me. John lays on his back, covered in a beige colored blanket. His face looks beat up and his injured leg is slightly lifted. He is staring at the ceiling, but when he notices me, his face lights up. 

‘Darcie?’ he asks, visibly confused. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Winston called me,’ I say. I wipe away the hot tears that are running over my cheeks, without me actually crying. ‘He told me you got shot.’

John pulls himself up, slightly wincing in the process. He leans against the headboard. ‘Yeah, it didn’t really go as planned.’ 

It pains me to see that he got injured and that he is obviously in pain. My sweet John… ‘But, did you get out?’

John nods. ‘I’m officially out.’

‘Good.’ I look at my white sneakers and quietly say: ‘John, I’m so sorry.’

‘For what?’

My eyes meet his. ‘For everything. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I should’ve called you.’ I let out a soft sob. ‘I’m so sorry you got hurt because of me.’

‘Oh no, Darcie, don’t apologize,’ he says. ‘If someone should say sorry, it’s me.’

‘You already did, in your letter. It was so damn sweet and that book you made… I realize now that you’re still the John that I fell in love with. I don’t want anyone to sit at that table. It’s your table. The only one I want is you.’

John’s eyes are glassy with tears. ‘Darcie,’ he whispers, but I don’t let him finish. 

‘I need to know one thing,’ I say.

‘Okay.’

‘The people that you hurt,’ I say, ‘their families and loved ones, will they come after you? After us?’

He shakes his head. ‘That won’t happen. I’m a free man now. Besides, I will never let anyone hurt you, your friends, Tiki, your family. No one..’

I can’t stand this far away from him any longer. I walk up to him and sit on the edge of the bed. He engulfs me in his strong and safe arms and feeling this safe, it’s the start of the tidal wave of tears. ‘Sweetheart,’ he whispers in my ear. ‘Don’t cry, it’s all over now.’

Even through the tears in my eyes, I see his handsome face, covered with bruises and cuts.I shakily inhale and through my sniffles I manage to say: ‘Every day that you weren’t there in my cafe… It felt incomplete. You are so incredibly important to me, John. After talking with Raye and Jennie about you, I realized that I need you in my life.’

‘I really need to you too, Darcie.’ He places his calloused large hand on my cheek. His thumb caresses my lip. ‘Can I kiss you?’

‘You can and you don’t have to ask that question. Ever again.’ 

John smiles and presses his lips against mine. Finally I get to kiss him again. Those days that I didn’t feel his lips on mine, feel his arms around my body and just seeing him… I don’t want that. Ever again.

I pull him closer to my body. ‘It’s really over?’ I ask him again.

‘It is really over.’

I let out a sigh of relief. ‘I love you so much, John Wick,’ I whisper. 

‘I love you too and I’m never letting you go.’ He has a smug grin on his face and says: ‘You look adorable.’

I roll my eyes. ‘Just made a fool out of myself when I got here with Raye and Jennie. We have the same pajamas in different colors. Had I known that the Continental was this chic, I would’ve changed in the car.’

‘Highly doubt that you made a fool out of yourself,’ he says. ‘Besides, I really like it when you’re dressed like this. It gives me a glimpse of the future, where you and I get to spend a lot of our mornings and evenings in our pajamas.’

I blush. ‘You’re really thinking about our future?’

‘Of course,’ he says. ‘Been thinking about that the moment I realized I fell in love with you. I think that was around the time you gave me my own table.’

‘I might have had some nice daydreams about you too,’ I admit.

‘What about?’ he curiously asks with a smile on his face.

‘Not telling you.’

‘You can tell me anything.’

‘I know, but I don’t want to tell you this. Yet.’

‘Thank God, I’m retired. I have all the time of the world to wait to hear about it.’

I smile. ‘Right, you are retired. I forgot how old you are.’

‘I’m not old,’ he says. 

‘Maybe we should make you an account on _the_ Instagram.’

‘I said that one time, Darcie,’ he laughs. ‘Are you going to constantly remind me I made that terrible old people mistake?’

I nod. ‘I was planning on that.’

John sighs. ‘It’s a good thing I love you.’

‘You know, I found something out today,’ I say to him. ‘Never knew your official name was Jonathan.’

‘Right…’ 

‘Don’t you like that name?’

He shrugs. ‘I like John more.’

‘Why?’

‘Because when you got to know my name, you always called me John. It’s by far the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.’

I blush. ‘I’ll keep calling you John, then. Or I should think of a nice pet name for you. What do you say about Boo Bear?’

He snorts. ‘That’s a ridiculous name. You’re not calling me that.’

‘My mom calls my dad _nae wangjamin_.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘It means _my prince_.’ I smile at him. ‘Though you are my prince, I’m not calling you that, because it reminds me of my dad. But I always thought it was very sweet, very original. So, I must think of something really original for you. Just give me some time to think about that.’

‘Of course, sweetheart.’

‘Oh my God,’ I say. ‘I just realized something.’

‘And what’s that?’

‘You now have a Mustang that you won’t be driving for a while,’ I say. ‘What are we gonna do about that?’

John laughs out loud, but winces and holds his ribs. 

‘Oh, John, are you okay?’

‘Little sore, baby, nothing to worry about,’ he quickly says when he sees I’m about to get really worried. ‘But I have an idea. You use my car to get to work.’

‘How did you come up with that?’ I ask him with a smile, pressing a kiss on his lips.

‘It does come with something else, though,’ he adds. ‘Can I live with you and Tiki for a while?’


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately this is the end of the 'one cappuccino and a chocolate brownie, please'. It has been such a wonderful experience and I think it's a very thrilling way to start my Keanu Reeves (and a lot of his characters) fanfiction journey. 
> 
> I will be posting an update on my tumblr very soon with future projects. I will be posting on here too, but on my tumblr there are cute extra's (such as certain instagram posts).
> 
> Thank you for reading this story, it means the world.
> 
> Tumblr: keanureevesisbae.tumblr.com

_Four months later_

‘Miss Angel,’ Roger says when he’s standing at the register, ‘I’ve been thinking about asking someone out.’

‘About time,’ I say. ‘But, if you say my name, I’m gonna let Tiki poop in your smoothie.’

His eyes widen, before he realizes I’m just messing around with him and he burst into laughing. ‘No, no, no, I was talking about Ellie.’

I raise an eyebrow. ‘You mean my sweet employee Ellie?’ 

‘Yes, that Ellie.’ He senses my lack of reaction, because he says: ‘I really like her. The past few weeks she’s been taking a lot of our orders and… I can’t stop thinking about her.’

I snort. ‘You’re quite something Roger, have to give you that. To answer the question you want to ask me: no, I’m not gonna ask her if she likes you back, you have to find out on your own. And, if I find out you broke her heart, I’m denying you customer service and I’m sure Raye will kick your ass.’

Roger chuckles. ‘I won’t break her heart, I promise. And I’ll ask her out, without your help.’ He sighs. ‘Thank you.’

‘For what?’

‘For always listening to us,’ he says. ‘Though I won’t admit to anyone else that I’m spending nearly all my time in a really pink cafe, this has become such a great place. How do they call it?’

‘A safe haven?’ 

He snaps his fingers. ‘Yes, a safe haven.’

‘That’s really sweet, Roger.’ I walk around the counter and pull the high school kid in a hug. ‘You are always welcome here.’

‘Thank you, miss Angel.’ He lets me go and walks to the table where Greg and Tina are already sitting.

The door of the cafe opens and I see John walk in. He still limps a bit, but he can do a lot of things by himself. The days that I’m driving the Mustang are sadly over, since he can drive again. 

Though he is spending most of his time in my apartment, he still owns his house in Mill Neck. He is not ready yet to let go of that place and I totally understand. The yard reminds him of his time with Helen and though we are starting our lives together, I can’t ask him to simply just forget about Helen. She is part of his life and always will be.

Raye leans in the doorway of the kitchen and I hear her say: ‘Tiki, your daddy is here. Go say hi to him.’

Tiki rushes out of the kitchen, right into his arms. ‘There is my sweet girl,’ he says, kissing her face. She barks, causing some of the customers to laugh. John walks to the register and when he stands in front of me, he says: ‘And there is my other sweet girl.’ He places a kiss on my forehead. ‘You are breathtaking, you know that?’

‘There are single people around here, John,’ Raye says, who gets behind the register. ‘I’m this close of barfing over whatever you’re going to order.’

‘Sorry Raye,’ John says. 

‘Tell me,’ I say, holding his hand, ‘what do you want to order?’

He smiles. ‘One cappuccino and a chocolate brownie, please.’ He looks at Raye and adds: ‘But I have one question, though: does it come with a kiss from Darcie?’

‘For fuck sake, John,’ Raye laughs. ‘I’ll leave you two love birds alone.’

We watch Raye walk to the kitchen, sending me the finger in the process. I hold back a laugh and get behind the register. 

‘I’ll prepare your order,’ I tell him. He nods and walks with Tiki in his hands to his favorite spot in the world, as he once told me. 

Though it’s still hard to believe that John and I are officially dating, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. Though I told my parents about him, he has yet to meet them. Since my parents are workaholics and they started working even more when I left for college, they haven’t had time to meet him. I did tell them about John, the fact that he was the customer that visited my cafe every day and showed them pictures. Mom thought he was handsome and if she wasn’t married to my father, she’d snatch John away from me. My dad was still a bit on the fence, not liking the fact that I am dating again nor liking his age. 

Though my father is a bit hesitant—but really likes the fact that John owns a Mustang, so that’s a bonus—I know John will handle meeting my parents just fine, just like he handles everything just fine. 

He helps me to get through all the paper work and his reading is a whole lot faster than mine. When I’m working, he takes Tiki out for a walk and recently he has been hinting to get another dog. ‘Come on,’ he always says when he brings it up again, ‘Tiki needs a friend.’

I look over my shoulder, to see John interacting with Greg, Tina and Roger. They have become such great friends and it breaks my heart to know that in just a matter of time, these kids will go to college to God knows where and I’ll see them less frequent. I mean, of course there will be other high school kids, but no one can compare to them. 

I prepare John’s tray and walk up to him. I sit next to him, since it’s pretty quiet in the cafe. ‘A cappuccino and a chocolate brownie for mister Wick,’ I say. ‘And because he is such a frequent and lovely customer, I added some broken cookies, since we can’t sell those, but we hate to waste.’

John wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me against his strong body. ‘Thank you, sweetheart. You know, today is a special day.’

‘And why is that?’

‘Because today marks the one year anniversary of me stepping into this cafe.’

I gasp. ‘That’s today?’

He nods. ‘One year ago I saw you for the first time and you were the first person in years that made me happy.’

I smile, thinking back about that day. ‘I remember that day, just didn’t realize it was today. I was so intrigued when you walked in. The way you moved, the way you looked at me and ordered your cappuccino and chocolate brownie. At first I thought you were this broody, mysterious man and though you remained very mysterious for a long time, you were warming up to me. You started smiling, you started interacting with me. There were times that I couldn’t stop thinking about you and couldn’t stop looking at the door, hoping you were going to come in.’

He smiles at me. ‘Glad I came in everyday.’

‘I thought that whatever happened at work, would stay there. That this wouldn’t become something more.’

John kisses my temple. ‘Well, thankfully I finally had the guts to ask you out.’

‘Thank God,’ I chuckle. I look at his order and the little note I wrote him: _I love you_. I sigh deeply. ‘Good thing you found my cafe.’

‘Good thing I somehow got you to love me.’

I look up, wanting to say something to him, but he presses his lips on mine. He doesn’t seem to let me go and I’m not complaining really. 

Tiki pushes her face between ours and I start to laugh. ‘Tiki, don’t be jealous,’ I chuckle.

‘I think we need to talk about something,’ John says in a serious tone.

‘About what?’

‘I think Tiki needs a friend.’

‘No, John. We’re not dating long enough to get another dog. Besides, puppies are lots of work.’

‘I’m retired,’ he whispers, ‘I have all the time in the world to take care of two dogs.’

‘I’m not having this conversation with you again.’ I want to stand up, but John is too fast and pulls me back. 

‘Maybe as a birthday gift for you,’ he suggests. ‘That’s just two months away.’

‘Tiki, sweetheart, please pee on John’s pants so he doesn’t want another dog.’


End file.
